Bestiarii (Death By Beast)
by cinnabal
Summary: KidLaw Roman Au. A young red haired barbarian survives multiple encounters with death, and now, is a slave of a revenge driven Roman, who is willing to die for the sake of revenge. Side: Kilguin and MarcoXAce
1. Act I Part I

**One Piece Big Bang Event**

 **Title:** Bestiarii (Death By Beast)

 **Summary:** A young red haired barbarian survives multiple encounters with death, and now, is a slave of a revenge driven Roman, who is willing to die for the sake of revenge.

 **Set:** Fictional History Era Of Roman Empire

 **Pairings:** KidLaw, KilPen, MarcoAce, ZoroSanji..Etc

 **Warnings:** NFSW, murders, slavery, wars, and history inaccuracy.

 **Author Note: 18+ AUDIENCE ONLY. You have been warned.**

 **Part I, Act I**

 _The hut was dark and dry, the only light source that the young child with red hair had was a small fire. It burned brightly in a hole that had been dug into the hard ground, and casted dark shadows that danced along the mud mortared wall ._

 _A tall, young woman with long, braided hair that reached her knees, stepped in front of the pale red head, and stared at him with an intensity that suggested that she thought the young child might possess the answers to the world in his own young, and innocent red eyes._

 _The young child's gaze was drawn to the black cross tattoo scrawled at the base of her throat, and to the inked black triangle symbols etched for her eyebrows. The young red head was terrified just by looking at her, and he now understood why the villagers spoke of her with such reverence in hushed whispers. So this was the seer of the tribe,he thought as he looked at her, just shy of meeting her eyes._

 _"Would you like to see your future, young chief?" The tribe seer asked him with an inscrutable face._

 _The pale child was dumbfounded by the question. "My future? Why would I want to see my future, Lady Seer? Can't I wait for the future unfold on it's own?"_

 _The seer laughed at the child's response which surprised the young chief, and dispelled the dark aura around her, instantly._

 _"Aren't you a bit curious what the future holds for you? Not even a peak of it?" She asked again as she raised a triangled brow._

 _The redhead shook his head in response._

 _The seer seemed disappointed, yet amused at his answer. After a moment, she reached for the young chief's head, and plucked a strand of hair. The young chief felt the sting on his scalp, but held back the sharp retort on his lips, waiting to see what the seer was up to._

 _The seer showed him the strand of his hair and toss it on the fire below, then took a bowl of dried bones and handed it to him._

 _"Take two bones and I'll toss them in the fire for you, young chief." She commanded as she picked up another bowl filled with unknown leaves, and mixed them with an unusual liquid before she threw them into the red flames of the fire. As the leaves burned, the scent wafted up the child's nose, the smell was unfamiliar to him._

 _"I said I didn't want to know my future," The child insisted and tried to hand the bowl of dried bones back to the seer, but she only shook her_

 _head._

 _She pushed it back toward the young redhead's chest and continued to toss the unknown substance into the fire, making it spark and change color from orange to red, and back to it's usual color._

 _"You have to choose, young chief." She insisted. "I had a dream last night, a dream from the Great Gods themselves. They said that they have a prophecy for you, young chief, and even though your father was against this foretelling, I must obey the God's will and tell you of it."_

 _"The Gods? What do the Gods want from me?" The child asked with a sigh as he started to poke he dried bones from the bowl with his index finger._

 _"This is why I brought you here today, young chief. We need to find out what the Gods have in store for you." She explained, "Even though it's too early for you to understand the dream's true meaning, in the future you will understand it."_

 _She put the unknown substance's bowl away from them, and focused on the young chief. The young red head didn't know what he was supposed to be looking for, but choose two bones and handed it to her. She took them and quickly examined the bones._

 _"You will help me understand the message, Lady Seer?" the young chief asked, and let his curiosity get the better of him._

 _"Yes. You cannot do this alone, and it's an honor for me to help and give you advice." The seer lightly bowed her head and the young chief gave a nod as a response. She raised her head and asked again._

 _"Would you like to see your future, young chief?" She repeated._

 _"Yes." The young chief nodded. "What does the future hold for me, Lady Seer?"_

 _"You shall see in a moment, my young chief, just do not leave my side," She instructed, and gestured to sit as she crossed her own legs and seated herself on the ground._

 _He weakly nodded in consent, and sat, unsure of what her words meant._

 _She threw the two dried bones in the fire and in an instant they started to crack sharply. Surprise made the young chief jump._

 _"Is it suppose to make that sound?" The young chief asked in a whisper, but he was given a gesture of silence in response by the seer, who now focused her entire attention at the fire and bones._

 _The young chief was left to only stay still, observe in silence, and wait. The seer closed her eyes as her hands began to dance above the flames almost as if she was trying to manipulate the fire. The fire danced with her gestures, and the bones continued to crack harshly, filling the silence with its sounds of anger._

 _After a few minutes had passed, the seer suddenly started to mumble incoherent words, her voice deep and rhythmic to the ears of the young chief._

 _As he sat there in silence, the words that the seer chanted caused a cold shiver to snake up his back, and the feeling that someone else was watching them settled around him, and made the child uneasy and afraid._

 _"I know you are afraid, young chief. Don't be. You must be brave until the end," The seer said quickly to reassure the child._

 _The redhead simply nodded and after a few moments tried to relax. He knew someone, or something, breathed beside him, and whispered unknown words into his ear, the feeling making him quiver with fear. He felt the seer take his hand in hers, and a calm descended over him as his eyes drifted shut, and his mind was captured in a trance like state._

 _He trusted the seer and he listened harder to the whispers of the beings around him. The seer let go of him and continued to mumble words in the fire until, suddenly, a strong and cold wind passed through the hut, and into the fire. The flames grew to the ceiling of the hut, and as the bones started to crack louder, the boy was snapped out of his state of calm._

 _He turned toward the seer when he noticed her chanting had slowed down to almost a halt. He could see that the seer had opened her eyes, and he watched as her face of concentration turned into one of haunting, dead white horror and pain. Her mouth opened wide, as if it was about to break, and her voice suddenly turned into a helpless, deafening scream._

 _It frightened the young chief to the point where he wanted to run. His mind chanted to run away from the seer, run away from the haunted fire that keep crackling in his ears,and the whispered words, and cold touches against his skin. Yet, he remembered the seer's warning to never leave her side, so he didn't dare move an inch._

 _The redhead felt the blood drain from his face in fright, his ear drums pounded, and begged for release as the screams grew in volume. He felt scared and helpless, not knowing what he should do as the seer continued to scream in agony._

 _The child could only close his eyes tightly, and wait until the seer stopped her screaming, but she continued to scream and mumble more incoherent words deep into the night._

 _The wind in the hut grew stronger and stronger as the night wore on, and it made the child feel like he was about to be picked up by the wind itself, and carried away. It was then that the wind drown out the seers screams, and replaced them with the beings and their whispers._

 _A loud battle cry rang loudly in his ears. More sounds of death, the smell of blood, and sight of bodies dropping down besides him one by one, filled his senses. The cries of tortured souls being dragged to the underworld as if the cruel god of death himself tormented their souls as well as his, for the cries reminded him of friends and family._

 _And far away were the unknown beings who had yet to stop their whispering. Small tears formed in the corners of the child's closed eyes as he wished this nightmare would stop. He wished he never agreed to this._

 _And then unexpectedly, but as if on cue, he heard a gentle,yet sad voice whispering in his ears._ _ **"Te amo, Amatus."**_

 _The red head's amber eyes snapped, and was greeted by the seer who was sitting still in front of him as if the screams and the haunted souls never happened._

 _"Am I right in assuming that you have seen the same thing as I, young chief?" The seer asked._

 _The child stared at her dumbfounded, unable to speak as the blood returned to his face, and he regained his senses._

 _"W-w-what happened?" He finally asked as he stuttered in confusion._

 _"The Great Gods from above have shown you the prophecy, young chief." She replied, wistfully. "It is always an unpleasant experience for one to see into into the future, are you alright?"_

 _"I am fine," He answered softly as he felt the tingling throughout his body lessen. " But you were there too...how come you don't seem to be affected?"_

 _"It was simply your vision," she explained._

 _"But everything seemed so real," The redhead breathed as he ran his shaking, pale hand through his hair. "There was so much shouting and screaming. So much death and blood. Whispers from the haunted dead and a war cry."_

 _"Would you like me to tell you what it meant? I saw everything from the fire." The seer offered._

 _The young chief looked at the fire. It seemed so normal now that the bone cracking pops had stopped._

 _"Tell me!" He said. "Please, tell me what it meant!"_

 _"Very well." The seer said as she took a vase of water and poured it to an empty bowl. She offered the water to the young chief, who quickly accepted it and drank it all down in one swallow._

 _"The Gods will bless you with incredible talents," She began as the young chief set the empty bowl aside and listened closely, "Inhuman strength, a master of weaponry, intelligence, tactical genius, and the bravery of a true, and mighty warrior._

 _"You are destined to lead your people with strength and power; you'll become a greater leader than any of the chiefs that have lead our tribe, but..." She paused, giving the young chief a sympathetic look._

 _"But what?" He asked anxiously._

 _"But the Gods have also given you a cruel fate."_

 _"A cruel fate?"_

 _"Young chief," she paused, "You will die by the fangs of a beast."_

 _"A beast? What do you mean? What kind of beast?"_

 _"I do not know, young chief. The Great Gods did not show me what beast it was."_

 _"The Great Gods will bless me talents, yet I will not die in the battle just like my ancestors did? You are the seer! You have to tell me why!" The young chief screamed, anger bubbling through his veins._

 _"Please, young chief," The seer warned, " You must remain calm and accept the God's will. To speak this way will only anger them!"_

 _"No! I will not believe in the prophecy the Great damned Gods gave me! I do not believe them!" He shouted, as he got to his feet._

 _"You cannot change your fate, young chief! The Gods decide what path we take!"_

 _"Watch me! I won't let some beast kill me! I will defy the Gods ridiculous prophecy!" The young chief challenged, and ran outside, and into the blinding light outside the hut._

Kid opened his eyes as he felt a sharp sting on his left cheek, the pain made him realize it had all been just a dream, an old, recurring nightmare of the past that he was fated to die with. When he turned his head to the side, he was greeted with a mop of pink braided hair in his face.

"Wake up, you damn brute! It's morning already!" The red head's female companion, Bonney, screamed at his face, adjusting the belt of her simple black wool tunic.

"For the love of the Great damned Gods, you don't have to scream at me this early in the morning, you bitch!" He screamed back as he threw his pillow at her with an incredible speed that took her off guard.

The pillow hit straight in her face, and she fell ass first on the ground. He quickly threw the blanket covering him away from himself, and pounced on the pink haired girl who was still recovering on the ground.

His hands quickly found their way around her neck, but he was suddenly knocked sideways and pushed back onto the forest mossy floor as he was kneed in the stomach. They both growled at each other like mortal enemies of the wild forest, trying to decide who would become the top of the food chain.

"You fucking asshole! You were having a fucking nightmare, and I'm kind enough to wake you up from it!" She screamed in reply, "And this is the thanks I get?!"

"Fuck you! You're going to wake up the whole damn forest with your bitch ass voice!"

"ME?! I wasn't the one who was screaming in my sleep! A 'thank you' would be the polite thing to say, you fucking brute! You don't have to be so rough!" She retorted as she scooped up, and quickly threw back the pillow that had been thrown at her.

It didn't hit the red head's face, but it created an opening for the pink haired woman to tackle Kid back to the mossy forest floor. They both fell, and the red head took the damage.

"You bi-" The red head tried to exclaim, but was cut off as the pinkette tried to choke the living shit out of him.

Kid quickly fought back by rolling around the forest floor, just to try to claw the annoying bitch's face off. They soon attracted a crowd, but no one was brave enough to separate them. Instead they started to bet who would win. Most of them voted for Bonney to win, and some cheered for Kid.

The crowd laughed at the childish fight, but the laughter quickly died down and dispersed as a tall, muscular older blond approached the two teens and grabbed them both by the roots of their hair.

They yelped at the pain in unison as the older blond single handedly stopped them from their fighting and held them in place with just one hand for each of them. He looked annoyed under his bangs and his lips wore a frown.

The two instantly froze under the older blond glared at them.

"Wouldn't it be better for me if I could just feed you two fucktards to the wolves so I can actually have a peaceful morning?"

"No." They said in unison.

"Then shut your mouths, or I'll leave you tied to a tree and let the wolves eat you alive."

"We'll shut up, Killer," The two agreed in unison, again.

The blond grunted in disbelief as he let them both fall the ground. Kid and Bonney instantly glared at each other, but the blond growled at them. Kid huffed in annoyance, promising silently that he would settle this spat latter, and picked himself off the ground to straighten his own tunic, and tightened the blue sash around his waist that kept it in place.

Killer crossed his arms over his broad chest, and looked at them strictly. "Since both of you have a lot of free time in your hands, clean the tracks we made around the area. As the mature one here.." He eyed the redhead, "...I don't want the people from the West Tribe to get our tracks and disrupt our first trading trip to the Roman borders. We don't want them to lead back to the Tribe." He added, and adjusted the sword tucked in his waistband.

The other tribe members snickered at the two fighters, but were quickly silenced by another growl from the older blond.

"I'll be at the river to refill our water supplies. Eat your breakfast, clear the place before I get back, and then we can resume our journey to the Borders," Killer said as he departed, and left with two large water bags slung over his large shoulders.

"You know, Kid, he acts more like the chief than you do. Are you sure you two didn't just get switched at birth?" Bonney taunted, childishly when Killer was out of earshot.

"Shut the fuck up," Kid snarled at Bonney.

Bonney only replied with a laugh and left to gather up her own belongings for the trip. Kid glared after her, and then began to gather his things as well. He picked up the pillow he threw earlier and the blanket lying across the forest ground and properly folded the items and tied them securely with a rope to his pack.

He placed the pack on the back of his black mountain horse, and then double checked the pouches that held the trading goods of precious rocks and animal furs he spent gathering back in the mountain woods. Kid was fairly confident that his first time as a trader would bring him money and, hopefully, more customers. After deciding everything was as it should be, he guided his horse near the other trader's horses and securely tied it to a tree branch.

The red head took out his animal coat made of russet colored bear fur, and placed it over his broad shoulders, securing the leather cord at the base of his throat over his own black tunic. He bent down to fix the straps of the leather boots that protected his feet from the rocky terrain, then slid his blade into the sheath tucked in the sash around his waist.

After he slung his quiver and bow over one shoulder, Kid quickly tied his red hair into braids that reached the back of his shoulders. Lastly, he took his golden bracelets carved with unique patterns and clipped it on his right wrist.

As the gold sparkled in the forest light, Kid smiled to himself. The bracelet was the most important items he had ever owned in his entire life. They were gifts from the Chief Tribe, and were old ancestral relic that were passed down from generations of Tribe leaders. It was the sole proof that he was the next in line and losing it meant he lost his inheritance and pride as the next leader of the Great mountain Southern Tribe.

Tearing his eyes from the gold band, Kid set off to do as Killer had instructed, and began to cover the party's tracks. He returned to the almost cleaned camp site a while later, with only the campfire remaining.

Most of the other traders had finished eating, while some lingered by the freshly cooked deer beside the campfire. One of the people still eating was Bonney, stuffing her face with a whole deer leg, and was now dressed in a animal coat similar to his, but it was made from the fur of a brown wolf.

She was talking to a willowy blonde who stood next to her as he ate his own breakfast. He was tall, thin, and had a long golden braid that reached his waist. The similar pattern of three black painted marks etched over his eyebrows and a cross pattern in the center of his neck were painted on his skin. This was because he was the only son of the late seer, the same woman Kid had seen all those years ago.

The young seer instantly noticed Kid's presence as the redhead walked over to them, and handed him a cooked deer leg. Kid grunted in thanks, and took the food.

"Quite an eventful wake up this morning," Basil greeted Kid softly.

"Glad to help," The red head sarcastically replied as he took a huge bite of the meat in his hand. He smiled to himself as the juices flooded over his taste buds.

The pinkette chuckled. "We fight every morning. It's a good way to start the day, I always say~"

"One of these days you two will end up fighting for real." The young seer answered, dry humor dripping his is reply.

"Pfft," Bonney scoffed around the food in her mouth. "One day maybe we will. I'll be the first female tribe chief if that happens, though."

The redhead simply laughed. "You wish," He said, then continued to eat.

As Kid quickly finished his food, he noticed that the young seer was looking at him. Kid waited for the blond to say something, but the young seer remained silent, chewing his food calmly.

"Is there something wrong?" The redhead finally asked with irritation as he threw the finished leg bone in the camp fire. As if in cue, the bone cracked loudly. Everyone besides the campfire halted eating and talking, their eyes boring into Kid at the blonds words.

"The Gods visited your dreams last night, am I right?" The young seer asked. "About my mother's prophecy?"

A dangerous air instantly filled the camp site and silence followed.

The late seer's prophecy about the young chief wasn't a secret. Once the tribe had found out, they had demanded to be told for the sake of the future of the people. Everyone in the tribe knew how the prophecy would end, and they could see parts of the prophecy that had already come to pass.

Kid was a truly gifted, and well trained warrior that possessed a raw strength. He was truly exceptional, but upon hearing the prophecy, the current chief grew anxious about his first son being killed by some unknown beast. He grew weary of him hunting in the woods alone, and since then, had always insisted he was accompanied by Killer, who was Kid's childhood friend, and his future right hand man.

So far, Kid was still alive, yet the fear of beast lingered, laying dormant inside of him. It was a miracle to Kid that his father had agreed to let him to join the small trading party to journey to the borders of their territory with the Romans. It was an sudden odd decision.

"Did the Gods tell you this?" The redhead scoffed, observing Basil's red eyes with his own.

"No, but I can see it in your eyes. And, it seems, I am correct from your response." The younger blond's eyes narrowed and press his lips together in a thin line.

"Are you worried?" The redhead couldn't help but ask. It was rare to see the seer's face change emotions.

The dangerous and threatening air disappeared and Bonney simply shrugged it off while the others nervously ate their food, and listened closely to the trio's conversation.

"No, but my mother's prophecy is coming nearer as you age, young chief. I cannot tell when, but death will soon come for you."

"Me dying at the hands of an untamed beast is ridiculous. I refuse to believe I would die so easily, and in such a shameful way," Kid said with a deep scowl. "I create my own path and I'll continue doing so!" He proclaimed, and earned his fellow young trader's cheers and support.

Bonney laughed loudly while she smacked the red head's shoulder hard. "Him, dying? I don't believe it as well. " She looked at the red head with a giant playful smile. "Just don't die yet. I'm not in the mood to take over the tribe."

"Haha. That's hilarious." He sarcastically laughed, and slapped Bonney back.

The rest of the group continued to laugh at his expense and the happy air among the tribe members returned. That is, until one man near the young chief dropped to the ground face first into the camp fire, an arrow protruding from his head. After that, everything was slow motion for the red head. As Kid scrambled for cover, he had one thought in his mind: They are under attack.

Kid grabbed Bonney's hand and pulled her close to his body, protecting her. The young chief could tell she was in shock. As they ran for the trees, she stared at the man who had gotten shot, her gaze seemed to never leave the camp fire as its smoke turned black. Basil was close behind them, running as fast as he could to keep up with them as the group weaved through the forest.

The forest trees were enough for the moment, but Kid knew it wouldn't be long before the enemies discovered their trail, and reached where they were hiding. The young chief quickly tried to hide the pink haired woman with the young seer.

"I left my bow and arrows besides the campfire!" Basil shouted as they ran, and was nearly hit by an arrow as it whizzed past his face.

"Fucking Shit! Where did they came from!?" Kid shouted back at the seer but the seer was too busy avoiding the arrows that were being shot at him to answer. He dove behind a fallen log, Bonney and Basil close on his heels.

"What should we do!?" The young chief heard from the other traders who were hiding the same area as they were. "We left all our weapons back at camp!"

"Fuck it!" As he was the only one who still had his weapons, Kid sprawled down on the ground beside Bonney, and noticed something was sticky in the forest dirt.

With horror, he realized it was Bonney's blood. She was injured. He looked her for the first time since the attack, and found two arrows in her right shoulder and leg. He hadn't been able to protect her, and now she was bleeding heavily. Damn it all to hell!

"C-c-hief," She whispered, addressing Kid by his proper title, "He's dead, isn't he?"

The red head couldn't help but bite his dark lip in frustration. Why did he feel powerless?! Helpless?! Protecting everyone was his responsibility! He had to do it, he is the only person they could rely on, and he was going to kill the bastards who had killed his tribesmen. He would make them pay.

The redhead looked up at Basil, and the seer instantly understood what Kid wanted to do. The young seer tore off a part of his tunic and rolled it quickly. He then shoved it into Bonney's mouth and commanded the rest of the tribesmen beside them to hold her down so that the arrows could be removed.

"Hold her, men! Chief, I'll handle this, and take care of her. Now, go!" The young seer promised, and the redhead quickly crawled down back to the ground.

With his bow and arrows ready, he looked to where the enemy arrows were coming from. It was quick and easy for his keen eyes to pick out the irregularities of the forest around him, and he used this knowledge to make it back to the camp unseen.

In the campsite the enemies were trying to take the tribesmen horses, but little they know, those horses couldn't easily be tamed. In his line of vision, there were three enemies by the horses, two in the trees, and four near the campfire where three bodies laid sprawled on the ground, dead with arrows in their heads.

Kid clenched his fist, suppressing the anger building inside him. How could they?! This shouldn't be happening to them. Those three men had been laughing and eating beside him not fifteen minutes ago, men that he had grown up with, and trusted. Now they are a slab of cold meat lying lifelessly on the ground.

He took a moment to just close his eyes, letting his teeth creak with pressure as he ground them together in anger. He can't let emotions consume him. He had the entire trading party's lives on his shoulders and he was not destined to die just yet.

He opened his eyes and a smug smile decorated his lips. That was right, he realized to himself. He was suppose to die by the fangs of a beast; not some cowardly enemies that killed three of his tribesmen out of blue. He wouldn't die just yet if the prophecy was to be believed. Kid stood up from the ground and notched his arrow.

As he positioned himself to shoot an enemy nearby, he could hear his fellow tribesmen scream at his recklessness, but he ignored it, and released his arrow.

He shot the nearest enemy in the head. He fell with a loud thud,and alerted the two bows men behind the trees. Their attention turned to him, and they quickly readied their arrows. However, as fast as they went, they were too slow for the young chief.

He shot one after another with precise, and incredible speed until there were only two enemies left. They sprinted fast enough to almost catch him off guard, but Kid noticed they had their weapons out, and his thought went to the weapon in his belt. It was time for close combat.

Kid threw his bow aside, and quickly unsheathed his sword just in time to counter the enemies blades. Two versus one was simply unfair, but this was real battle. Odds were he would end up injured, but the thought did not bother him in the least.

The redhead felt the excitement of battle grow inside of him. This was a real battle, not some tribes man sparring session, and he liked it. Once again, Kid was caught off guard by one of the enemy who used the tree nearby him as leverage to jump up to gain height and momentum for his attack, while the other swung at him from in front.

The young chief quickly kicked the enemy in front of him and managed to barely dodge the blade headed straight for his head. He had to admit that his enemies were good at teamwork. The two were soon in front of him once again, and commenced a joint attack, but the young chief ran back to the camp fire area to gain balance and find the weapons his comrades left.

He easily found a sword lying around and picked it up just in time for to counter another attack by the two enemies in front. Their appearances were rough, and the young chief knew their appearance well. They were from the West Tribe, the only tribe which his father hated the most.

"How did you find our path to the borders?" He demanded, but he did not receive an answer.

They continued their attack with amazing team work, but the young chief's defenses never faltered. Their attacks might have been precise and deadly, but they lacked the power needed to overwhelm the red head. He risked a reckless move, and almost got stabbed in the stomach, only avoiding it by a mere inch, but with this move, he was able to stab one of the men in the chest.

The other enemy was caught off guard as Kid threw the man's partner's lifeless body at him. Both of the enemy fell to the ground, and the redhead quickly stabbed the remaining one in the neck, not wanting to finish the bastard off too quickly.

Blood spattered onto his face, but he remained unfazed by it. A little blood was nothing to him, and even as the light faded from the west tribesman's eyes, Kid could still feel the anger rising inside him. These western tribes men's lives weren't enough to pay for what they had done to his tribes men.

They died in his watch. It was his fault, and like hell would he let this slide. Revenge would be his.

The others, who had been hiding in the trees, ran out of their hiding place and quickly towards him.

"Are you okay?" He heard from his companions.

He tiredly nodded as the excitement and rush slowly drained away from his body, that is, until, a thought came across his mind: His best friend was missing.

Killer hadn't returned from his trip to the river. Without a word to his comrades, Kid picked up his bow, and ran in Killers direction as fast as he could, a feeling of dread settling in his stomach. He was sure his best friend had been the target.

He had just reached the edge of the the tree line when he felt a sting prick the back of his neck. He took hold of it, and ripped it from his skin, and looked at it. It was a dart.

Kid's vision lined with black, and he went down to his knees. As his head hit the forest floor with a loud thud, the voices of his fellow men slowly vanished around him and there was silence.

The red head slowly woke up from the rotten smell that surrounded him. His vision appeared blurred at first, and his body was numb, and unable to move. Kid blinked until he was able to see clearly, not quite able to process what he saw. But cleared vision or not, he was still greeted by the sight of two men dressed in foreign clothes, and yammering so low and fast, that he did not understand what they were saying.

The two men were dragging Kid's body by his chained feet across the moldy, blood stained stone floor. Kid lifted his head to try to gather information of where the hell he was, but it was to no avail.

The corridor was poorly lit, and the torch that cast the dim light was in the the hand of one of the two men dragging him. His chains continued to rattle as they pulled him along. The stone dug painfully into his back, but the redhead was smart enough not to make a noise. He tried to move his arms above in his head discreetly as possible, but the drug was still in his body,and his limbs would not move.

Kid clenched his teeth in anger and frustration. It was definitely the drug that prevented him from breaking out of the shackles and getting out of this situation, otherwise those two fuckers would be dead, and he'd be out of here.

He tried to calm down by breathing the air but choked, alerting the two men dragging his body that he was awake. The fucking air smelt like blood and rotten flesh and death. It was the smell that woke him up.

He noticed now that there was more light in the corridor, so he turned his head around, but instantly regretted it. The walls were decorated with the mutilated flesh of countless men. Assorted body parts were nailed into the wall, the blood dying the wood a dark red. The sounds of cages rattling and growls echoed far away in the dark rooms of the hallway, and somewhere above him, Kid could now clearly hear cheers and the screams of people, and their shouts through the walls, and made the poorly constructed ceiling shake.

The redhead gulped, nervously. Where was he, he wondered to himself.

"The barbarian is awake," He heard one of the men say. "But still sluggish. His full strength hasn't returned yet, but it won't be much longer till he'll be able to move again."

"Che. Took him long enough to wake up. I thought he was dead when they threw him in here," the other man with a nasally accent replied with a snort.

"Well, whatever drug they shot into this guy, it's effective enough to knock out a young horse. That makes things easier for us. Barbarians are fools, but fools or not, once this guy gets back his strength, I don't want to be anywhere near him."

"Why did they have to put him in the pits if he's so much trouble? Why couldn't they just kill him in the spot like the rest? It's hell of alot easier," the nasally voice whinned.

"You lazy bastard, the Roman soldiers are kind enough to give the citizens new entertainment and slaves! We get paid for this, so do your job and shut your mouth," the first soldier that had spoken scolded.

The other man simply laughed. "Grateful? We don't get paid enough to throw these stupid barbaric pigs who raised their swords against Rome in the pits with the creatures of the arena."

"A-a-against?" The red head stuttered. His voice was hoarse and it pained him to speak, his throat felt dry as sandpaper.

"Did the barbarian just speak Greek?" They asked each other in surprise.

They stopped dragging him and inspected Kid head to toe.

"You can speak greek? How is that possible for an uneducated, barbaric pig such as yourself to speak the language of the gods?" The first man who spoken and carried a torch, asked with disdain.

"That's preposterous," The other laughed. He dropped the red head's foot and approached his face. He spitted at the red head before kicking him hard in the stomach.

Kid glared at the man darkly.

"Just look at his hair." The same man said as he kneeled down and grabbed a fistful of Kid's red hair to yank it painfully.

The redhead hissed in pain and growled at the man, but the soldier just sneered, unfazed by Kid.

"It looks like it's made of blood," the soldier remarked to the one holding the torch.

"He's an exotic type of barbarian, I don't fucking care! Drag this fucking pig into the pits, and let's get the fucking job done! I want to fuck later!" The soldier with the torch barked at the other man, who simply laughed at him, unfazed by his friend's tone.

"You don't have to be such a fucking piss, " The nasally soldier chided playfully as he slammed the red head's skull into the stone floor, and stood up.

Kid clenched his fists and jaw in pain. He was going to show those assholes that they were messing with the wrong person as soon as he could move his damn body.

The man grabbed his foot once again and began to drag him where they suppose to take him once more. A short silence followed before the man spoke again to his partner.

"You know what? Didn't they have a weirdly light red haired woman with the other slaves?" he asked, that immediately interested the other one with the torch.

"Aye. She was feisty as a hornet," He remarked, agreeing with the second soldier.

"I heard they are going to sell her in a slave market later this afternoon."

The redhead didn't need to look at the nasally man's face to tell that he was being goaded into eliciting a harsh retort. But he was too relieved to to be angry at the moment. He was glad Bonney was alive, but wherever the rest of the tribesmen where, he hoped that they were okay.

"Her personality really turned me on." The man smirked, trying again to get a reaction out of Kid, and laughed lewdly, "I'd love to see her break."

The redhead could not help but snap hoarsely, "I swear, if you touch her-"

The two men simply laughed at him.

"Oh, excuse us, is she your woman?" The nasally man mocked, "Well, if that's the case, then I'll send your bloody, fucking braided hair to her broken body after you die in the pits~"

"You fucking assholes!" He roared at them, trying to move his feet to kick out at them, but his feet barely twitched in response.

Kid's attempt made the nasally man laugh louder.

"I'll fucking save her. I'll save all of them. Watch me, you fuckers." He whispered to himself.

The vile mouthed soldier opened his mouth to retort to Kid's whispered promise, but was shushed roughly by his companion, and all fell silent.

After some time later, Kid began to feel his upper body strength returning. He was able to raise his arms slowly and silently placed them on his chest. He looked down at his wrists, breathed in relief. At least, his beloved bracelets were still there. The Gods still favored him, for now.

His thoughts of relief completely disappeared though, as the once faint, and excited cheers become louder and louder with each step of the soldiers as they dragged him like a slab of meat. He silently cursed his luck. If given more time, once his strength returned, he could have easily broken the two men's heads without effort. But time was something he did not have, so all he could do was ready himself for the right moment, and conserve every ounce of his energy.

Suddenly, Kid was blinded by the light ahead, and before he knew it, his body was slammed into a pair of rusty, metal gate doors. The smell of rotten, sun burnt corpses and death got stronger around him, and quickly invaded all of his senses. He suppressed a violent gag by quickly covering his nose with his chained hands.

Now, with enough light, Kid could examine himself. He was covered with only a piece of cloth around his hips that barely covered his groin, and both of his pale, and now bloody, wrists and ankles were cuffed with a heavy metal chain, binding him tight enough to make it difficult to move.

He barely could breath with the suffocating smell around him, and the weight of the metal weighing him down. The upper half of his body still refused to move as his strength began to return to his drugged body slowly.

As Kid's red eyes slowly adjust the blinding light, he looked at what laid beyond the gate, to find two familiar men. Although they were dressed in nothing but shredded, blood stained clothes that barely covered them, the red head knew the two men in the pits without doubt. They were from his tribe.

The redhead held the rusty metal grills tightly as his eyes slowly widened. Their faces and bodies were covered with their own blood and open, ugly wounds. Both were exhausted and barely breathing. The black haired tribesmen clasped a hand around his bloody throat as he kneeled down beside the light blue, shaggy haired man with bloody, gruesome wounds stretched across his mouth. The young red head wasn't stupid, he knew they are dying from blood loss, and dehydration. For shits sake, they barely could stand up on their own.

Both men were armed with nothing but a poor looking swords, no doubt only having made it this far by their wits alone, as they fought side by side. The crowd's cheers were deafening as they screamed at the top of their lungs. Men and women had their arms in the air, wildly cheering for a good show as the battle was fought..

The pit was made mostly of sand, and scattered with dead land and grass. Huge rocks formed a small cliff like structure, adding difficulty to the fighting terrain. But Kid knew that the terrain held no obstacle for the men of his tribe...So why were they struggling, looking disgraceful like that?

Then, as if on cue, the red head man heard a loud, fierce roar that shook the pits. His red eyes widened in fear. It was a beast; a great beast armed with sharp claws and teeth. It was a fucking lion. The crowd's cries grew sharper, crazier with excitement, as they chanted the same word in unison: "KILL! KILL! KILL!"

As if the lion somehow understood the crowd's plea, it leaped into the air from the cliff. The big cat's jaw instantly tore the raven haired man's head off. The body twitched and slowly blood pour out of its neck, and dropped to the ground with a sickening thud.

The lion chewed the head slowly, and glared at the remaining man. The redhead could hear the crackling and snapping sounds as the lion continued to stare and eat, despite the deafening sound of the crowd jeering for action.

The bluenette turned, and ran away from the beast. Big mistake. He tried to climb to the wall, but as his whole body was stiff in pain, it did not take long for the lion to be bored by its first meal and headed for it's seconds.

The lion circled the man slowly to let the fear and pain on Kid's fellow comrade's face grow. The man's expression would haunt the red head forever, he knew, but despite the outcome, Kid could not look away..

The blue head seemed to realize his fate, and started to beg for mercy in front of the crowd. But they kept cheering for the lion, completely deaf to the man's pleading.

The light blue head knew he was in his own grave. He turned back and decided to fight. He threw his sword at the lion, but it was simply batted away by a sweep of a massive paw.

The man glared down at the lion as it approached him. Soon a deafening scream of pain and screams from the onlookers blended together, drowning out all other noise.

Kid held the bloody gate rails tighter, until his knuckles turned white. He tried to breath, and bit his lip until it dripped steadily with blood. On the inside he was wailing, he screamed inside. He lost them, he had lost more of his men, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. He was powerless once again. What should he do? DAMN it! He had to do SOMETHING!

"Fuck yeah! That was a fucking great show!" The guard from earlier shouted in excitement from behind him. **"Damnatio Va Beastia!"**

 **Thank you for reading. Leave a review or favorite/kudos if you like. Stay tune~!**


	2. Act I Part II

Part I, Act II

The other guard nodded. "I rather fight the gladiators than the beasts in the fucking pits."

"D-d-damnatio Va Beastia?" The redhead asked as he turned his attention on the guards. The sadistic grins in their faces made him sick.

"It means 'Death By Beast', barbarian! The most brutal form of execution in the history of the Roman Empire., and a fitting end for the people who dare to raise their swords against the Roman Empire. Only some brave souls are able to survive this disgusting pits," The guard added, looking past the gates and toward the mangled bodies on the ground.

"Only some?" Kid asked, slight panic entering his mind.

"Yes, so don't get your hopes up, scum. Your execution will be done differently from the others- assuming you are the snake's head of this pitiful rebellion."

"My head? And what rebel-" Before the redhead could finish, the gates opened and he was thrown outside.

The guard then threw a sword that landed between Kid's thighs onto the sandy ground. The guards laughed at him, then waved before closing the gates and securing it with a chain and brass lock.

The redhead quickly bent down to retrieve the sword, and examined the weapon he was given. It was poorly made and the edges where dull as fuck. _Damn it all to hell,_ he thought bitterly to himself as he tacitly swung it in an arching motion to test its balance.

The fucking thing wasn't even sharp enough to cut a fish, let alone a lion. In fact, it was probably better to use a stone rather than using the sword he was holding, but he decided that he could still make use of it with enough of his strength.

Kid looked around, his body buzzing with anticipation and the prickling feeling of his muscles as they began to wake up from the effects of the drug. The lion from before was gone as well as the two dead tribesmen mutilated bodies. Shit, that wasn't good...

The crowd started to cheer once again, and Kid still couldn't quite think straight. It could have been the drugs still clouding his mind,or the doubt that had started to creep inside and weigh down his thoughts, but the fear of death was slowly building. Although he refused to believe that this was how he meet his end, he cursed his luck.

It was the quiet that alerted him. The surrounding audience had gone silent, as he stood still, thinking of what is about to happen to him. If he was going to die now, he rather die with his honor, but he would also do everything in his power to not let the old hag's prophecy come true.

As he felt his strength slowly returning to his body, he knew that he wasn't ready for the battle he was about to face. He was barely equipped-no, scratch that- He wasn't equipped with anything but his own fists, and his wrists and ankles were bound with rusty chains. It wasn't looking good for his slim chance of survival. The hope of his making it out alive of these the pits and escaping the clutches of the Romans was thinner as a spider thread.

It was the quiet that alerted him. Dying in the bloody pits would be a sick joke in after life, Kid admitted to himself as a twisted smile found itself spreading across his face. He wanted his friends. He wanted to save them, wherever they were, and he wanted restore the freedom they had lost and return safely to the tribe.

He wasn't going to die. Not now. Not today.

When the crowd started to scream once again at the top of their lungs, the red head knew the beast had arrived, ready to tear his skin to shreds and bite the head off his body. Determined, Kid quickly thought about what he should do. Gathering his strength, he clutched the sword tightly in his hand, and used it as a leverage to help him take a step forward.

He wobbled a bit, but found his composure. Kid looked up at the lion, and noted that it was already on the move. With no hope of himself getting out of the metal bounds of his wrists and ankles by his own strength, Kid had no choice but to stay where he was.

He watched with narrowed amber eyes as the lion slowly took a step towards him, like a hunter examining his prey. For the first time in his life, Kid was the prey, and it made him laugh inside, dissipating all his doubts. That lion was about to find how fucking wrong it was to corner Kid, to assume that it was invincible, and that Kid was too weak to fight back.

Given the circumstances, Kid realized that he _was_ at a great disadvantage, but Kid felt no fear, nor doubt. It was strange and odd feeling. Every thing was clear to him now, in this moment, as it always seemed to be when he had little to no hope of survival or success. He'd defeat the lion. He knew he could, even though chances were slim, but he was willing to take a chance.

He felt nothing but boiling excitement, and recognized it as the same feeling he felt as he fought those enemy hunters in the forest. He partly blamed his recklessness, but the excitement grew with each passing second he stared at the lion, and waited for it to stalk it closer and closer. The dumb beast was too cocky, probably used to the fact that its prey was already weakened and had nowhere to run. It made the animal careless, and there was no way Kid was going to lose to such and animal.

Kid smiled again and pulled at the long rusty chains he planned to use against the lion. It wasn't going to be easy, but he was ready. He anticipated that the lion would approach him from the front, its lack of actual hunting instincts working to his advantage.

Dismissing the noise from the crowd's loud cheers, Kid flashed the lion a taunting gaze that made it growl. The lion accepted the challenge and charged at him faster than he expected it to be, but Kid was ready.

The lion roared as it widened his jaws, flashing his sharp fangs. The redhead relaxed his body and waited for the lion to come closer still. As the lion's jaws was inches away from closing around Kid's head, he leaped back, and over the lion. He swung out his arms as he vaulted over the animal head, catching his chains in the lion's mouth like a horse's bit, and forced the animal to bite the chains that connected his wrists.

The lion roared in anger as Kid successfully landed on its back. His body rested flat on the lion's back, squeezing his thighs tightly together around its sides . The lion's jaw had the rusty chain stuck on its mouth, making it shake it's head in fury, a gurgley growl sounding from its throat. Kid tugged ruthlessly on the chains tugged the wrist chain, earning another growl from the lion, and caused it to start to thrash about, nearly throwing Kid from its back.

The rusty chains did not last long, and quickly broke into pieces as the lion's teeth broke the already weakened metal. Kid was violently thrown off the lion's back and landed on the hard, sandy ground. The lion let out a wild snarl and tried to claw at Kid, but the redhead quickly tried to roll over. He wasn't quick enough however, the beast's massive paw catching the hem of what little clothing he had on.

Kid knew he was trapped and done for, unless he acted. He took his chance, and with all his strength, stabbed the lion's eye with the tip of his dull sword. But even with his speed, he was unable to avoid the swipe of the animal, it's claws raking down the left side of his chest before it started to screech in pain.

Kid took that opportunity as well, rolling out of the lion's range, and unsteadily got to his feet. The redhead then gasped in pain, and doubled over and fell to his knees. His chest was caked with fine sand that was steadily turning a dark crimson as his cuts started to bleed heavily, and the pain slowly took over his remaining strength.

He felt like some of his ribs had been broken by the impact of the lion's paw as it had caught his side. It hurt so much, he couldn't even stand up, his strength slowly slipping away with every labored breath.

Kid hissed as he reached up to touch his face, and drew his hand away. Blood stained his skin, gushing from his head, and made him dizzy and his vision start to become outlined with black. No, not now, damn it! He could still do this!

The lion cried once again in anguish as it tried to claw out the sword embedded in it's eye, but was unsuccessful. Although blinded in one of his eyes, the beast sniffed his surroundings for the red head, and it quickly found its target.

Kid cursed to himself as the lion slowly walked towards him, but with caution this time. The redhead tried to find more strength, more power, and the will to stand up and finish his fight, but the extreme pain prevented his body from acting at his will.

He could feel his consciousness start to slowly slip away. Then he was greeted with the lion's massive jaws open, about to eat his head off. In reflex, Kid quickly stopped the lion from ripping his head off with his own bare hands.

His cries of pain were drowned out by the manic screams of the audience as the sharp fangs dug deep in the flesh of his palms. Blood poured out of his hands, making them slick, and there,The lion fought to overpower the redhead, but Kid took every droplet of his remaining strength , and made the beasts grow wider for his foot to slip inside the lower jaw.

The lion roared and tried to claw him, but the effort went to waste. The redhead had all the advantage, and poured every everything he had into opening the animal's jaws, not caring about his own self harm, and didn't stop until he heard a loud snap.

When the beast collapsed to the arena floor with a heavy thump, Kid knew he had killed the lion.

The crowd's wild and crazy cries deafened his ears. He did it. Kid's knees finally buckled, and he fell to sand packed ground as well. He let out a painful laugh of victory. He really did it. Fuck yes, he did.

The redhead laid there in the ground, trying to catch his breath, but before he knew it, the lion's body was dragged away from him and he was harshly grabbed by his hair.

Everything after that was blur to Kid. There was screaming that reached his ears in a language he couldn't understand as he was forced to kneel down and felt a sharp blade on his neck, ready to slit it at any moment. Kid dimly acknowledged that even though he beat the lion, it was the humans he should really be worried about.

Strangely, though, he wasn't killed, but received a punch to the face, and was dragged back within the suffocating tunnel once again. Instead of caring where he was being dragged, the redhead concentrated on his breathing. Every breath Kid took left a sharp pain inside of him, and every breath out, he would start coughing that leaves the metalic taste of blood in his mouth.

With his already blurred vision and a raging headache, Kid was blinded with a yellow light directly in a room that smelled of medicinal leaves and the faint smell of blood. He felt the sudden lost contact to the ground and was then slammed hard onto a flat surface. He groaned in pain and triggered another harsh coughing fit.

He heard a shout from an unfamiliar voice of a man, whose tone was laced with annoyance. The voice now spoke with a commanding tone, dictating orders that Kid did not understand as he tried to stop the room from spinning.

Kid closed his eyes and focused on his breathing again, but he ended up having another bloody coughing fit. The talking stopped almost immediately after he started to cough, and soon after he felt someone touched his right eye with a warm hand.

Kid's nose was invaded by the strong smell of medicinal leaves. His right eye opened into a squinted, but he couldn't focus on the person who was giving him the medicine. He groaned painfully after the coughing ended. Was this person a doctor? Did those Romans want him alive? Why? Perhaps, another battle against a beast?

He felt a cool touch on wrist, forcefully trying to remove his bracelet. In reflex, he grabbed the person's throat with a deadly grip, and vicious snarl. Kid might not see well, but he rather die than have someone touching his treasure without permission.

"Unhand him, Barbarian!" A soldier's distorted voice shouted as Kid's hand was pried from the person's throat. "I said, unhand him!"

"Don't fucking….touch..it." He growled forcefully.

Pain shot through his throat after he spoke, breath ragged from labored breathing. Again the bracelet was tugged, digging into his skin.

"Stop," a quiet voice said. Was this the doctor? "I.. won't touch..it."

The words quickly registered in the red head's mind. He quickly let him go and tried to relax.

"Wait, he spoke Greek? You can speak greek, barbarian?" The doctor asked, clearly surprised, then added reluctantly, almost to himself, "Well, now is not the time to wonder about it." Then, without a warning, Kid's mouth was opened wide and a cloth was shoved inside, muffling his voice.

"We apologize," the guards warbley voices apologize, "We didn't think he was still able to fight."

"It was reflex, fools. This barbarian is clearly on the brink of death. Frankly, I'm amazed he was able to fight the lion with drugs in his system. It's a disgusting thing to do."

"We didn't drugged him. He arriv-"

"Silence!" the voice ordered coldly. "Leave and I shall do my

work."

"Bu-"

"I have my servant for help. Now, leave."

Silence answered, and a moment later, a door was slammed shut.

"Zoro, hold him tight and don't let him move." The doctor ordered again.

As if in cue, two heavy and rough hands gripped his arms, and held his shoulders in place. The redhead panicked at the weight on his shoulders, suddenly unable to move.

"Don't move. The procedure for your eye requires precision and it will hurt a great deal. If you pass out, great, if you don't, you better not move unless you don't mind losing an eye."

Without further warning, the left side of the red head's face began to throb in pain. Kid's mind immediately went blank , and all he could do was scream into the cloth until he finally passed out.

A blinding light shone behind Kid's eyes. He opened them slowly, and blinked several times before he could properly register his surroundings. Where the hell was he? He looked around him, and saw himself sprawled across a soft bed with snow white linens, blankets and a pillows. Clean floor and walls with a fresh scent of nature invaded his nose. A white curtain was in the other side of the room, snapping in the warm summer breeze. This was no torture chamber, he concluded, and began to to try to devise a plan to get the fuck out.

Kid tried to turn his head to peer around him, and hissed at the pain it caused. He decided to slowly move his arms, trying to feel them for pain as well. As he moved the bandaged appendages, he was glad to still have both of his arms in tact. He did the same to his legs and felt relieved so far the pain he had was from sore muscles.

Kid tried to sit up and almost felt no pain from doing looked down at himself, and saw white cloth that carefully covered his entire chest and around his arms. Kid was relieved to see he still possessed his bracelets. That was a good sign, and it looked like someone cleaned it them recently.

Aside from the jewelry, Kid was completely naked and only had a blanket to cover himself. He wrapped the blanket from around his waist and took a deep breath before he moved his feet lightly across the tiled the floor, testing it under the pads of his bare feet.

As soon as he found the strength to stand, he stood up from his bed but as soon as he did, his head began to spin, and his vision blurred. Kid felt his knees buckle beneath him, and he suddenly felt his head hit the floor.

Kid sucked in a shuddered breath, and the pain returned to his body like a wave crashing down on him, leaving him weak and helpless on the cold floor. After a few moments he tried to stand again ,only to achieve the same result as before.

Kid tried again, this time aiming to find something to help hold him, but it was no use. Again he fell, hitting something on his way down, the loud shatter sounding beside him. Kid ignored it, and grunted as he tried a fourth time.

"Don't try to move, you moron," A familiar voice spoke.

The red haired man's head shot up to lock eyes with a stunning raven haired man with piercing golden eyes. Those intelligent eyes looked at him with great interest as he stepped forward in front of Kid and knelt beside him.

"Where did you learn to speak Greek?"

Kid was speechless. He never had seen a person this beautiful before and just looking at him made Kid feel like something was boiling inside him that was foreign and uncomfortable.

His syrupy golden eyes were surrounded with black kohl liner, and the dark circles under them gave the impression that the man slept little. He was dressed in bright cloth, and gold jewelry shinning around his arms, neck, and wrists. The man looked like a god in human form.

"I asked you a question," The raven repeated, authority lacing his voice. "Answer me, Eustass."

Eustass? Who the hell was that? " If you are talking to me, that's not my name," Kid said with disdain. "My name is-" He was immediately cut off by the raven's dark glare.

Kid gave the raven a glare in return that could kill a lesser man, but the raven stood there, no fear in his eyes. Instead, his long fingers were suddenly grasping Kid's chin and held it in place.

"Answer me," He ordered, this time verbally.

Kid was about to spit in the raven's face for being treated in such a way, but he was stopped by those damn eyes again. The man's eyes were like a snake's, able to mesmerize its victim with one look before it struck out to devour it whole.

Kid did not let that falter him, though, and hardened his resolve to not give in to the raven's manipulative aura.

The only verbal answer he gave was an animalistic snarl at the raven, who actually seemed surprised at Kid's reaction. He stood up and grabbed Kid by the arm to pull him to his feet.

"Get up." He said harshly, but his hands were nothing but gentle where they danced across pale skin of Kid's wrist. The strange contact almost made the redhead shudder.

Once the raven helped Kid get back onto his feet, he made him sit back on the soft bed beside them. The redhead was bewildered of the sudden change in the man's actions, but it was soon observed by Kid that the raven was concerned only of his bandages.

"A barbarian like yourself may be exotic, but you have absolutely no manners at all," The raven mumbled, displeasure making him a frown. "You dirtied your bandages. I need to change them immediately."

Kid glared at him, but was surprised when the raven sat beside him, his eyes level with Kid's.

"Are you not scared, Roman? I can snap you like a twig if I wanted to." Kid threatened, snarling at the man.

The roman gave a light chuckle of amusement. "Snap me like a twig, Eustass?" He laughed again before he spoke, his arrogant tone grating on Kid's ears. "You can barely could stand up, and you dare threaten me? Perhaps I should inform you that you were asleep for a whole month- and barely pulled through I might add- so 'snapping me like a twig' would be very near impossible. Now, shut up and let me change your bandages. Don't test my patience."

"How dare you say that to me! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

The raven raised an eyebrow. "I am citizen of Rome, barbarian, but I shall give you some advice from one human being to another: watch your mouth in front of your master. I might be forgiving to my servants, but even I have my limits. You are not an exception to this, Eustass."

"I have told you, that name doesn't belong to me!" Kid shouted. His outburst earned him another threatening look and before he knew it, he was being grabbed by the bandages on his chest, the action instantly drawing a pained howl from his lips.

"What did I just tell you? I am your master, and it was by my grace and will that your wrenched life was saved from the pits of _beastia_. Now, I shall repeat myself only once more: don't move and shut your mouth before I sew it shut for you."

Kid huffed in anger, but kept his mouth closed as the raven unfolded the dirtied bandages around his pale chest. The raven didn't utter another word, completely focused on his work until he was done unwrapping Kid's wounds. When he was done, he stood up, and took the dirty bandages with him over to the dirty linen hamper behind the white curtains to dispose of them.

Kid couldn't help but look down at the ragged, and gaping wound that was stitched together across his chest. Although he was no medical expert, he could see some of the stitches were pulled and bleeding. He guessed that he had accidentally opened them during his earlier attempt at escape, and now that the bandage was gone, the wound stung like hell in the open air. He stifled a sharp hiss of pain as the raven returned with more clean bandages in one hand, and a jar of leaves in the other. He sat besides Kid and placed the items besides him, neatly.

"I will start by re-sewing the areas where your wound reopened. It might hurt, but it shouldn't take long." The raven explained so calmly that Kid couldn't help but to nod along with the roman before he realized what he was doing.

While he was being patched up, Kid barely felt any pain. The doctor's skilled hands were precise and steady as they worked, and never made any error or unnecessary movement. After taking care of the ripped stitches, the raven showed him what seemed to be jar full of medicinal leaves.

"These leaves will help your wounds heal faster," He explained, as he freshly ground them in front of Kid, and applied them with great care to his newly stitched wounds. Kid hadn't moved at all during the whole process, which seemed to please the raven quite a bit.

"Great. Keep up this attitude, and I might forgive you for the insults earlier," the raven said, as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a clean cloth.

"Keep up what exactly," Kid looked at the raven with apparent distrust, "Roman?"

"My name is Trafalgar Water Law, Eustass, but you may call me Master Trafalgar."

Kid grunted curtly and looked at him with annoyance. "I don't care what you say, **Trafalgar.** " Kid intentionally pressed Trafalgar's name, "But I'm not staying in this place."

Trafalgar narrowed his eyes. "You will speak my name with respect. I shall tell you this once: I will treat you with the same respect you show to me. I expect you will listen to this advice, Eustass. Now," he said, turning and looking briefly about the room they occupied, "This place is my home, and this room is called an infirmary. It's where I tend to my patients," Trafalgar paused before he looked over his shoulder to where a curtain was blowing in the breeze behind him. "Patients like yourself, Portgas. Didn't your owner ever teach you not to listen in on other people's conversations?"

A muffled curse was heard from behind the curtain before a tan hand pulled it back to reveal the said man. It was obvious he was a patient, for he was covered with white bandages from head to toe. A few flat wooden boards were attached to his left leg, along with a crutch under his arm to keep him steady as he stood.

The man's freckled complexion turned pink with chagrin as the other men stared at him. His curly hair was black and unkept, hanging in front of his silver eyes as they bore into Kid's. Their gazes locked briefly before the raven immediately shifted his gaze towards Trafalgar, and looked at him with a hint of fear.

"What should I have done? We're sharing the same room and I couldn't help but listen to your conversation! I was curious as well! I mean, he's famous!" Portgas tried to playfully reason with Law who only gave the other raven a silent glare in response.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping instead, hm?" The roman doctor asked, raising an eyebrow. "If it wasn't for your owner's request, then I would have left you to bleed to death on that table. So, I suggest you sleep until you regain your strength. And," he added with a sigh, " Perhaps keep an eye out for my newest slave until both of you recover."

"Of course!" Portgas agreed, and immediately sat back down on the bed. "I won't leave this bed, and, as promised, I shall watch your slave."

"Good, now, I shall take my leave. Eustass, I expect you to behave as well," Law said as he disappeared behind the curtain.

"Screw you." Kid muttered under his breath in his native tongue when Law was gone.

"Oh, Zeus, your master terrifies me."

Kid scoffed. "He doesn't terrify me at all."

The redhead shifted in anxiously in the bed before he looked up and met Portgas's gaze again, who looked at him with great interest and curiosity.

"And that person is not my 'master', nor am I his or anyone else's 'slave'. I might owe him a debt for saving my life, but I am no one's slave."

Portgas chuckled in disbelief. "I know it's hard to believe it at first, but accept it. You are now inside the Empire of Rome, and like it or not, you are his slave. No matter what the perspective."

"Where I am makes no difference. I still can try to escape this place."

"Oh, don't bother with that. After the spectacular feat you displayed in the pits, you, my friend, have made quite the impression. And not only that, it saved your head as well. A senator actually bought you for an unheard of price as a gift for Master Trafalgar's birthday!"

"A gift?!" Kid snarled. His anger was rising with every word the freckled raven spoke. " Do they treat everyone's life as an object? Who do they think they are?"

Portgas shrugged his shoulders as he leaned back against the wall behind his bed. "It is what it is. I can't do anything about it. Plus I like what I do."

The red cursed in his own tongue, clearly disgusted at the place he landed himself into. "You're a slave as well, that doesn't make you angry?!."

"I am no slave, **Eustass**. I'm a gladiator. I'm above you."

"A gladiator?" Kid repeated, trying out the unknown word on his tongue. "What the hell is that? Some kind of warrior?"

Portgas looked at Kid clearly amused. " You really aren't from around here, are you?" He laughed. " But, of course, you probably haven't heard of gladiators. You are a barbarian outside the walls , yeah? Deep in the the woods of the southern mountains, am I right?" Portgas paused and propped his chin in his hand. "How did you learn Greek? I thought you barbarians didn't welcome outside customs. Your accent is rough and lacking finesse, but here you are speaking Greek."

"It's none of your fucking business," Kid snarled, his tone dripping with malice, but Portgas laughed it off. Threats didn't work on this man, he grumpily noted to himself.

"If that's your wish, but then how will I educate you on gladiators?" Ace taunted.

Kid glared at him again, but then sharply turned his head in defeat, curiosity winning over his better judgement.

Ace laughed shortly at the small victory before he continued, "Gladiators are people who fight for glory, fame and money in the Coliseums. It's an honorable position that pleases the gods in the heavens above."

"Gods? Oh, please," Kid scoffed with disdain.

"Yes, Gods. Now, I have a question of my own." Portgas looked at him for a long moment, then spoke again. "Those bracelets. I saw you wear those in the pits, and I heard you tried to choke Master Trafalgar when he touched them. Why are they so important?"

"Aren't you nosy?" He snarled in response. He'd rather not reveal his lineage to a grunt like Portgas. Who the hell knew what would happen if he did.

"You're so defensive! It must mean it's something important. Don't worry, I'm not the type of person that would take it, but I'm just curious. You held it so dearly, as if to the point you rather die protecting it than giving it away."

"You talk too much," Kid commented sourly, annoyed at the raven for his perceptiveness.  
Portgas sarcastically chuckled. "Like I've never heard that before."

"Well, piss off!" Kid shifted and faced the wall, signalling an end to the conversation.

"You should be thanking, Master Trafalgar. If it wasn't for him, you would be dead and fed to the dogs. You got off your sentence easy." He heard Portgas muttered but didn't continue to talk to him after.


	3. Act I Part III

Part I, Act III

Kid recovered from his injuries faster than was anticipated, but aside from Portgas, who sometimes talked to him about the weather, or how bored he was, the only visitor had had was the doctor. No other servants whatsoever. Trafalgar brought him all his meals, new clothes, and even water for washing himself up. So to say that he was frequently visited by the doctor slash his now, Master, was no understatement.

They even had a small routine where Trafalgar asked him questions about how he felt, and where he felt pain. Kid simply replied with a yes or no, and just looked at Trafalgar, trying to observe his actions. Trafalgar sometimes asked how he was able to speak Greek, but Kid didn't reply, still very skeptical of the raven haired doctor. The man didn't seem to mind his evasion to the question, and instead moved on, talking of other things as naturally as if Kid _had_ answered. And it annoyed him immensely.

Thankfully, though, the recovery was quick and one evening, not long after he arrived, Trafalgar pronounced him fit enough to leave the infirmary. The announcement drew a huge protest from Portgas, but Kid couldn't have been more relived. Upon his release, however; he was commanded to be the personal bodyguard for Trafalgar as it was proved previously he could fight, and was more than capable to carry out the duty. Kid thought that this was a severe mistake on Trafalgar's part, seeing as Kid could simply kill the physician, and escape if he so choose.

But, unfortunately, planning how could escape without drawing attention would be difficult, and easier said than done. There could be guards outside the walls of the house at every entrance, and he didn't know where the hell anything was in the house besides the infirmary, the garden and now the small room where he was expected to spend the rest of his days sleeping and whatever else he was commanded to do.

Kid looked at the table that held a foreign sword. It threw him into a cloud of confusion. They already knew he could be a threat, so why would he be given a sword?! A man like him, who could fight a lion with his bare hands, killed the most skilled hunters of the other enemy tribes alone, and had been trained since he was a small child to fight?. He was completely puzzled at the behavior of the raven haired physician, and concluded that the man was either extremely stupid, or extremely careless of his own life.

A knock from the door interrupted his thoughts, bringing him back to himself. He immediately grabbed the sword from its sheath and readied himself instinctively.

"May I come in?" A female voice spoke through the door. Kid lowered his sword a little, but refused to reply, for he didn't know what he should do.

The door slowly opened to reveal a beautiful woman with dark olive skin, and raven hair. She looked at him with curiosity reflecting in her black eyes. She was dressed in a long green garment with a simple string of jewels clasped around her throat, and a few studs in her ears. She was probably the second most stunning woman Kid had met in his entire life. Charm radiated off of her, as well something a little dark as she spoke to Kid.

"You must be Eustass," She greeted. "My name is Nico Robin and I'll be teaching you a few things about serving our master."

Kid bristled. "That man is not my master and like hell he'll ever be. My name is not Eustass either, woman. "

"If I was you, I would stop acting tough and face the reality you've landed yourself into," She advised, no hint of fear showing on her face when Kid pointed his sword to her.

"I did not choose this fate, woman! I was captured and was almost killed by that beast for the Roman peoples entertainment! Like any man would accept that!"

" Of course you didn't chose this, for one doesn't ones choose fate-it's the God's task to do so, after all. From what I've heard, you raised your swords against the Rome. Consider this a blessing. You should have been killed according to the Law."

"For the last time, that isn't true!" Kid shouted, clearly offended, but Robin wasn't bothered a bit. Why the hell was everyone so stuck on him leading a rebellion against the Roman Empire? Before a few weeks ago, he had never even traveled outside of his own tribe's territory!

"It was not my intention to cause you distress," The woman apologized cooly before continuing. " I've come here under orders from our master to teach you the things you must know. Tomorrow will be your first day working as his servant." She then turned around and reached for something from outside the door.

She dragged a small chest and laid it in front of Kid.

"It's my job to teach you what your job is, and to honor our master. If you prove to have no use, he'll either send you to the mines to work till you die or just kill you. Either the way, you are at his mercy. So, if you wish to even have a prayer of a normal life again, then I suggest you listen to me well. "

Kid scowled. If he ever wanted to get out of the place, he needed to play the good dog. It was a thought that left him disgusted with himself, but Kid relented, and placed the sword back to its sheathe as he listened to Robin's instructions.

"You are to wake up before Sunrise to start preparing for the day. Wash yourself in the servants bath house to get ready, and then you will eat in the kitchen after. Make sure you bring the master his breakfast exactly at nine o'clock, then after that, help him get dressed and ready for the day."

Robin reached down to open the small chest she brought and took out an expensive looking garment the color of the sun. Kid's jaw slightly dropped open as Robin placed it in his hands, the soft fabric kissing his skin. It was exotic and he had never touched such type of garment before.

"This cloth is called a toga, and a very expensive one. Its color is what is known as saffron yellow. Only the rich and noble can afford to wear such colors, and this color symbolizes the ranking of our master has in society."

Robin then quickly, but easily explained how the garment was worn and even taught Kid how to wear the red clothes he was given. It was difficult for him, who grew up only wearing animal skin and thin fabric. He didn't know such things even exist.

"After you help him dress, you must follow him every where he goes and do whatever he bids you. From carrying his scrolls, to helping him out in the market place-wherever he goes, whatever he asks- you must do quickly and efficiently."

Robin pointed to the sword in the sheath Kid clutched. "That sword is made by my husband who is the household's blacksmith. Take care of it, and be careful how you use it, for it bares the symbol of Master Trafalgar's household crest engraved on its hilt. You have the responsibility to protect our master from threats, but it is also your duty to uphold the position he holds in society. Always stay alert. It's your duty to protect him at all times."

"Why doesn't the man protect himself? Is he weak?" Kid scoffed as he reexamined the sword clutched in his palm.

He looked up at Robin when her monologue had fallen silent. Her face was filled with anger.

"Say another word that offends our master, and I will rip out your throat. Master Trafalgar is not weak! Speaking like that will not only get you killed, but it will disgrace the master," Robin threatened him. "You may have been a great warrior in your tribe but now you are nothing but a dog! I will not let you mock the master's name. It was by the master's own hands you were kept from your eternal rest, Eustass, so show some respect."

Kid scowled, but kept silent as Robin glared at him a moment longer. She breath twice, calming herself before speaking again. "Our master used to have two body guards with him, but the oldest is currently receiving training from a another swordsman, and the other is guarding the villa. With this in mind, the responsibility of the master lies to you alone. If you do a good job, then Master might reward you. He has been known to strike deals to ensure excellent performance."

"A deal?" Kid held his golden bracelet, tightly in excitement. _It might be his shot._

"Yes, our master does such things when it fancies him, but it's only if you deserve it." Robin paused, her gaze falling on Kid's wrists.

He expected her to pester him about the jewelry, but she just gave him a small smile. She stepped closer to him, and gently placed her hand on Kid's shoulder. He tensed, his body unused to such familiar contact from people that he knew little about.

"I know everything must be foreign, and confusing to you. It is a lot to take in so suddenly, but I wish for you to do one thing for me- for everyone- and maybe as well as our master…." She paused and sighed. "Master Trafalgar is a great man. He might be a handful sometimes, and can be demanding and sarcastic most of the time... but.." Robin's grip tightened on Kid's shoulder, "...Please protect him at all costs. Our master...that man… does not deserve the hand he has been dealt. He has changed so much the last few years, but I have a feeling that you are going to help change him again, this time for the better."

Kid just stared at her, more confused than ever. _What exactly is so special about that man that has made these people so willing to die just to protect him? Do she owes her life so much to him to the point where she is willing to trust a barbarian like me with her precious master's life?_

Nico Robin did not say anything else nor waited for his reply as she stepped back, releasing his shoulder, and began to neatly fold the items she had taken out, back into the small chest before she spoke again.

"The clothes you are going to wear will be a bit different than the ones you are probably used to wearing…." She picked up the foreign clothes that was for him and placed it in his hands. "A normal slave usually dresses differently, but our master views his servants differently, so, he lets us dress in what clothes we feel comfortable in as long as they are not offensive."

"Are you saying I can request something else to wear?" He asked, his mind jumping to his favorite fur loincloth.

"Yes. Master personally picked this garment and color for you, but, if it doesn't suit your taste you are free to tell me, and I shall let you choose. Of course with our master's permission."

"I see," Kid looked at the cloth he held, and felt the fabric between his fingertips. It felt different than the animal skins he used to wear. He wasn't ready for this change. Not the slightest bit.

Robin stood up and walked towards the door. "I shall wait for you to get dressed, then give you a short tour of the house, and take you to the Master's chambers so you may talk to him."

After the door was closed tightly behind Robin as she left, Kid proceeded to get dressed. He fumbled at first, getting lost in the yards of cloth, but eventually he managed to look the way Robin had taught him. He then arranged his long red hair into a thick braid, figuring that he should look 'presentable' as Robin told him to.

He huffed as a few wispy red strands of hair sprung from his braid onto his forehead, but chose to ignore them. There was no helping it, Kid decided as he replaced the leather strap around his hips, and tucked in the sheath that held his new sword.

The sword looked well forged, and the grip of the handle felt perfect in his palm as he tilted the metal of the blade. It glinted with sharpness in the light, yet it was sturdy and unique. It him want to meet the man behind the blades forging. Kid placed the sword back to its sheath, tie the leather sandals and walked towards the door.

Once outside, Kid was greeted with a warm evening wind that made him feel uncomfortably stifled in the clothes he was wearing. There, beside the door, Robin was waiting for him. She flashed him a quick small smile before giving him a compliment. "It suits you."

Kid grunted briefly in reply. He didn't personally like it, but fabric felt soft against his skin, so he decided to put up with it for now, and nodded after a moment. "Lead the way."

Robin obliged him, taking him through an arch way, and beginning the tour. Kid was surprised by what he saw. It was completely different than the huts he used to in his village. For one, the wall wasn't made in wood, but from some type stone he had never seen before.

The floor seemed to be made with the same stone as well, and made an elaborate and unique design that captivated him as he followed Robin to Trafalgar's chambers. Despite the situation, his eyes were wandering everywhere, looking around with amazement.

As they proceeded down the open, torch lite hallways, he noticed that walls were decorated with mosaic sceneries that seemed to move along with him, and filled with unbelievable colors and realism. There were also statues that were lined along the walls as well, and although he knew that they couldn't move, Kid could've sworn they were breathing.

Next they passed an enormous garden with water that was continually cascading from the top of another stone statue, and into the pool of water below that was decorated with living fish and blooming water lilies. Everything was just extraordinary, fascinating, and bizarre. Is this what all Roman houses were like? Kid's thoughts were interrupted as he heard Robin giggling at him.

"Curious, are we?" Robin teased as she smiled and continued on, rounding another corner without waiting for Kid's gawking form to follow.

Kid didn't even object, distracted as he was with the items around him. He stopped walking, slowly touched the wall with his fingertips, and felt the cold but unique stone under them

"What is this?" He asked, as his curiosity exploding.

"It's called marble. It is very common for the houses of the well endowed citizens of Rome to be made of marble. But the walls are not all that marble can be used for." Robin pointed at the statue beside Kid. He looked at it, and observed every detail. It was so human like, that he feels the statue was going to move the second he look at it.

"It's amazing."

"It is."

"Do all people in Rome have these kind of houses?" He asked, looking at Robin.

She shook her head. "Not all of them. The society is divided with different category but the explanation have to wait."

"But-" Kid protested but Robin shook her head.

"Come along now. It's getting late and Master is expecting a visitor to arrive shortly," Robin commanded as she continued to walk. Kid begrudgingly followed her from behind.

Next they passed by a hallway with a large window that overlooked the green mountains, and turned the corner to a small hallway with a single wooden door at the end. A single torch light the whole hallway, casting eerie, dancing shadows.

Robin paused in front of the door and looked at Kid. "Always think about manners, Eustass. Knock on the door three times and wait for a permission to enter, understood?"

Kid nodded. It didn't seem hard so far.

Robin gently knocked three times at the door.

"Come in," a voice commanded through the door.

Robin then opened the door and bowed before stepping inside. She gave Kid a brief look to copy her, and he immediately did, avoiding to anger the woman.

"Master, I brought Eustass as you ordered," Robin announced with a head bow.

"You don't have to be so formal to me, Robin-ya." Trafalgar replied distractedly before closing the book he had been reading, and opening up another. "You may leave and take your rest, Robin-ya. Thank you."

Robin nodded, and stepped back, but before she left, she gave another look to Kid. "Remember your manners; don't be rude." She said, almost whisper as she glided by, then she was gone.

Kid stepped into the room, unsure of what to do accept instinctively check his new surroundings for potential enemies.. The dim light aside, Kid could tell that the bedroom was enormous, almost like the tribe's gathering hall. It was filled with decorations, clothes, and smelt of medicinal herbs, and tonics.

Kid stopped looking around and looked at Trafalgar next, having not moved from his spot from in front of the doorway. In front of the raven was a massive amount of papers and feathers, the words on the papers that he couldn't even try to read.

Deciding he was safe enough, Kid closed the door behind him and stepped closer to where Trafalgar was, but then hesitated for a second. What was he supposed to do? He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. Trafalgar noticed his awkwardness .

"Did you closed the door, Eustass-ya?" Trafalgar asked, not looking up at him.

 _Did he say 'ya' at the end of that name?_ Kid thought before replying. "I did."

"Good. Come closer. I want to give you something," The raven ordered, and waved with his hand for Kid to come closer.

He did, but the moment he stepped closer to Trafalgar, a creature with fur of white as snow, growled at him from the darkness. Kid quickly drew his sword and pointed it at the creature. It was a huge white wolf with white fangs and ready to pounce at him and rip his head off at any moment.

Flashbacks from the pits clouded his mind. He began to shake as he remember all the pain he experienced. His whole body was screaming in instinct to just simply slice the animal's head off.

"What in the God's name are you doing!?" He heard Trafalgar shout at him as the man quickly shielded the feral creature, protecting it like a mother protecting its child.

"This is not a creature to kill, Eustass -ya! This is a pet. My guard dog, Bepo. So, I want you to put down your sword, or my pet will eat you alive."

"That thing is a wild animal! It might be loyal now, but the second it feels your guard is down, it will tear you to shreds. Let me kill it!" He snarled, earning a loud growl from the white wolf.

"You shall not! My pet is not some beast in the _beastia_ , you fool! It only attacks people who are a threat!"

Bepo growled louder, showing its white sharp fangs and giving him a deadly look that did not scare Kid . He readied himself for anything incoming attack, but Trafalgar was the only one standing in between them, his whole body acting as a sturdy wall.

"Lower. Your. Weapon. Now." Trafalgar commanded but Kid did not moved an inch.

Trafalgar suddenly stepped forward, and grabbed the blade of Kid's sword. Blood dripped down his blade, but Trafalgar did not show a single emotion except an intense stare in his eyes. Kid slowly lowered his sword, thinking the man was crazy. Who would do such thing?

"Do not move," Trafalgar instructed as he grasped Kid's hand, and smeared it with his own blood.

Kid did not move a single inch, his resolve weakened by Trafalgar's actions. He was almost torn apart by a fucking lion while drugged, just over a month ago, and he did not wish to fight another beast just after he recovered. The man who had saved his life was now endangering it, but Kid felt a strange calm and determination that surrounded Trafalgar, like a thick mist, and that calmed the hot blood in him as well.

The white wolf began to move around it's owner, encircling him like he was deciding whether to attack or not . The wolf then paused, and sniffed at Kid's legs. As soon as it did, the wolf started to get friendly. Going from hostile to stupid puppy in a matter of seconds

Trafalgar placed his non bloody hand on the top of the wolf's head in a friendly pat. Kid felt himself go paler than he already was, and gave Trafalgar an _are you insane_ look, but the doctor just chuckled at him.

"No need to worry. Bepo seems to like you now."

A sigh of relief escaped from his lungs. Bepo retreated back away from his master, and disappeared from their sight into the dark shadows of the room.

Trafalgar let go of Kid's hand and grabbed the nearest towel he could find. He then began to wrap it on his wound and tossed one to Kid, who immediately wiped off the blood smeared on his skin..

"It takes people time to get used to being around Bepo, but since you were almost killed by a lion, it is a normal reaction for you to fear him more than the average person."

Kid ignored what Trafalgar was saying and instead focused on the man's wound. Kid was confused on his own thoughts as they bounced back and forth between 'If only I had listened' and 'it was the doctor's fault. I didn't tell him to grab the damn blade!'

His mind fought between these two thoughts, but the words that came out of his mouth were a surprise to him, as well as the doctor.

"I apologize," Kid's red eyes widened, then looked away from the physician. Did he said that outloud?

"That's the first polite word you have spoken to me since we have met," Trafalgar said as he took care of his wound by wrapping it with a white cloth bandage.

He then sat down in one of those strange seats and waved for Kid to sit as well, but the redhead refused.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?" Kid asked, annoyed. The man's personality completely turned back to the same man he first met in the infirmary, and that was someone who he completely hated.

"I meant you've improved, you fool. Did Robin say something to you?" he added condescendingly.

"No!" Kid denied hotly, though it complete lie, and pointed at Trafalgar's hand. "Your wound…?"

"It's nothing." Trafalgar said dismissively, and grabbed a small square container where the rolled papers were, and handed it to him. "Open it."

Kid scowled and took the container, and took a moment before he opened it. Inside the box was a necklace.

"What's this?" He asked, and picked up the necklace by its chain to examine it. It was made of some kind of metal, and a rectangle of some sort hung from the chain, engraved with patterns that he couldn't read.

"What does it meant?" He asked.

Trafalgar then stated a word that Kid didn't understand at all, without even looking at him.

"And that means what exactly?" he asked for clarification.

"Proof of ownership, Eustass-ya." he reiterated. "You're a type of slave which is called _pedissequum."_ Trafalgar repeated, saying the word again, " And that means that you follow your master everywhere he goes. Usually, slaves are branded using metal heated rods with an owner's insignia, but I refuse to use such method. It's only used to prevent the slave from running away, but it's not necessary for you or anyone that I own."

"Why do you think I won't try to escape? You have seen my abilities. I could simply kill everyone if I wanted to."

Trafalgar laughed, mockery dripping heavily. "You can try, but my servants are not ordinary slaves or scholars." Trafalgar then gave him a glare. " And even if you could escape my villa, you can't escape from Rome. You are famous, and, given with your unique appearance, you can't simply disappear. Plus a foreigner, like yourself, is a dead give away."

"You're not afraid that I could slit your throat right now?" Kid asked as he looked Trafalgar in the eyes. Trafalgar barely fliched.

"No." He replied without doubt.

That caught Kid off guard, making him step back.

Trafalgar continued, "That is because you owe me your life, and it's a common courtesy among people, barbarians included, to owe their lives to person who saved them from the Gates of the Underworld," Trafalgar paused, then began again with a new thought. "I've heard among guards that you have a lover, and that she was taken to auction the time you were captured, yes?"

"A lover?" Kid was uncertain how to reply, but he could easily read Trafalgar's intentions. "Are you trying to manipulate me?" he asked dangerously.

"That is half correct. I am trying to manipulate you," Trafalgar replied, his confidence not faltering., "It's easier to have a slave that owns his life, and a debt of gratitude for saving another, than a slave that tries to kill you in every chance, he can. Now, tell me your lover's name, so we can start the search as soon as possible."

Kid crossed his arms. "I shall not be easily tempted, Trafalgar, with your conditions and manipulation. You want something in exchange, because with me already as your slave, you wouldn't do something like this. Don't to go in circles, and just tell me what it is."

Trafalgar grinned, and relaxed his back to let himself sink into the pillow behind him. "You are smarter than I thought. Had we met under different circumstances, I would have you treated you as a threat, but the Gods seem to have favoured me once again." Law chuckled. "The exchange is simply this: your lover in exchange for you to respect and serve me well. I have made a deal, no rather a bet, with a villainous person in exchange for your life."

"A bet? You bet on me?" Kid eyes widened. Why would they?

"Yes, that man's mind is twisted, and despite trying, I cannot read it well. He saved you for a purpose to weaken me or mock me in different ways, I suspect. I, on the other hand, have no fighting chance against him but take him up on his bet."

"Why would you do such stupid thing?"

"It's in the name of revenge Eustass, Nothing else. I won't let that man look down on me again." Law's eyes flashed. "Now, the bet sounds easy, but, given your history and my standing in the society system in Rome, it is very crucial. My status will depend on your actions."

"My actions?"

"Yes. It's my birthday next month and there will be a party held at my vacation house near the Roman capital. Important guests will be present, such as the generals of the Roman military, political figures, and business partners, and you, Eustass-ya, are going to be the evening entertainment."

"Me?! What will I do then?" He did not like the sound of this. At all.

"Act tame," Trafalgar replied as he took a sip of his drink.

"Why would I act tame for you?"

"Because that is what the bet is, Eustass-ya. A feral man beast like you is known to be untameable, and if you do not act tame to their liking, you will be severely punished in front of the whole crowd. Shamed and humiliated in every part they see fit for you. And in turn, your action reflect my authority over you and the others. Do you understand how crucial this to you and for me?"

Kid nodded hesitantly.

"Do you agree?"

"It's not that I have much of a choice, am I right?" He grumbled.

"Yes, you don't really have a choice, but to agree to this pitiful bet we made, is binding."

"Then will you agree and help me find my tribesmen?" He looked Trafalgar in the eyes, telling him he was serious.

Trafalgar quirked his eyebrow. "Tribesmen?"

"Yes. Will you agree to find any living tribesmen of mine?"

"Eustass, that is too mu-"He was interrupted.

"Will you agree?!" He shouted, earning a warning glare from Trafalgar.

He pinched the bridge of his nose with his finger and massaged it, as if sensing that this might be a mistake. He looked back up at Kid and gave him a skeptical look. " I haven't heard anything about your tribesmen. It's been over a month since I have received the information _only_ regarding your _lover_ from those guards in the pits."

"But can you find them?" The red head pressed, leaning toward the physician.

"I can but..."

"Just find them and I'll do anything. Whatever it takes to reunite with them once again. I beg you." Kid dropped to one knee, and lowered his head as a sign of sincerity in his tribe. This man is his hope to reunite with them and he'll do anything just to find them. Anything.

"Anything?" Trafalgar repeated. "Anything I wish?"

"Anything you ask." He replied, he slip the necklace in his neck. No matter the consequences. He must get his family back.

"Very well. I shall contact my informants personally to find your men."

Kid almost tackled the man from the joy he felt, but quickly restrained himself and instead took his 'master's' hand and kissed it. That seemed to surprise Trafalgar.

"Thank you," He said,quickly let go of the hand to stand, and awkwardly step away from the doctor's personal space.

"Go back to your quarters and take your rest," the raven instructed with a small smile, and then back to the work he had previously left when Kid had first arrived.

The redhead nodded and turned his back and walked towards the door.

"Eustass," Trafalgar called suddenly.

Kid stopped, turned and looked at Trafalgar. "Uhm, yes?"

"You forgot what you should say when taking your leave," He said, peeking from over the paper.

"What?" He replied, unsure of what he should do, going over in his head what he missed.

Trafalgar sighed. "Remember what Robin said before she left?"

He nodded. Of fucking course, he did. "But I thou-"

Trafalgar immediately interrupted him, and that ticked him off. "If you want practice at trying to act tame, then humor me. Think of this as a practice session." Law sighed. "Say it again."

"I shall..take my leave..master." He repeated through clenched teeth.

Trafalgar nodded, approval. "Good job, but louder the next time. Now, leave. I have business to finish before my guest arrives."

 _At this hour?_ Kid wanted to asked but he kept his mouth shut, he turned and walked away from the door, to the halls and back to his room. The torches in the walls were already turned off,and he walked back in silence with only insect noises accompanying him.

Trafalgar Law was his only way to find his men. If he could pull himself together until Trafalgar found them that would be great, but what would he do after that? What would become of him?

Kid shortly arrived at his room, opened the door, and stepped in. After he closed the door behind him and sat on the bed. He held his golden bracelets tightly in his hand and breathed deeply, calming himself. He shouldn't think of that for now; he needed to find them all first.

He didn't notice his fatigue until his eyes began to close with sleep as he hoped and dreamed of the day when they would all go home together. That day would come, he was sure, and then this would all be a distant memory...

Stay tune for more chapters ~!


	4. Act I Part IV

Part I, Act IV

Kid was woken up by an unfamiliar presence at his side. He hadn't noticed that he had fallen asleep last night, but as he slowly opened his eyes, his hand reached for his sword. But as he did, he was greeted by a boy with bright smile who was looking at him with amazement in his ebony eyes.

He had a black hair that seemed to be a mess, and a scar under his left eye that crinkled as he smiled down at Kid. He stared at the boy for a second before realizing the boy was on top of him, invading his space. As a result, he tried to grab the boy's neck, but the raven quickly and skillfully dodge his attack. The boy then quickly rolled down onto the floor and stood up with a bounce.

"Hello!" He greeted, smiling broadly at him. That rubbed Kid the wrong way.

Kid quickly shot up out of his bed and tried to grab at the boy again, but failed. The gangly raven was quick and agile as a cat.

"Who are you?!" Kid shouted angrily.

He was tempted to slice the boy in half, but he hesitated. Swing first, ask questions later was usually his motto, but this was Rome. He figured when in Rome, do as the Romans do, but what bothered him the most was the fact that the boy had been able to get on top of his battle trained body without him noticing at all.

"Ah, sorry! I made you wake up on the bad side of the bed. Shishishi. My bad." The raven laughed. "I'm Luffy, by the way! I'm here to wake you up for breakfast!"

Kid shot the boy a glare, but he was unaffected by it.

"AH! Breakfast! Sanji is cooking breeeeakfaaaast!" Luffy exclaimed.

Why did this boy's name seem to be familiar? Kid knew he had never met the boy before, and his name certainly wasn't a usual one, but still, faint bells of recognition rang in Kid's head. He decided to think about it later as his stomach growled loudly.

"Sanji?" Kid asked.

"The cook!" The raven paused for a moment, and then grinned ear to ear. "Breakfast!" he insisted, reiterating, and grabbed Kid 's wrist with a deadly grip before he dragged him out of the room.

Kid tried to pull away, but he was constantly tripping along the way to wherever they were going. It was still dark outside, and the cold wind made Kid shiver as bit through the thin clothes he was still wearing from yesterday.

After several turns, they arrived at, what looked like a room where people ate. The room was completely different from where he met Trafalgar last night. It was sparsely decorated and the only windows in the place viewed the outside courtyard, so that the torches on the wall were the only source that provided light to the whole room.

In the middle of a room was a huge wooden slab that resembled the one in Trafalgar's room, but on a larger scale. On top of it were different types of food ranging from meats, and nuts to vegetables and fruits Kid had never seen before.

A orange haired girl was seated in what it appeared to be another carved wooden item, its style in which it is used to keep someone off of the ground. He never seen such thing except in Trafalgar's room and it's style was completely different.

In his tribe it was customary to sit down beside the fire on the ground and eat whatever animals the hunting party had managed to take down for the day. He felt a sting in his chest at the memory of their smiling faces as they laughed and talked about their long days around the crackling fire. He missed them already and wondered if they were worried that they haven't yet father was probably in an all out panic.

Only the orange haired girl was seated at the far end of the wooden slab, and seemed to be reading something on an unrolled rolled piece of paper. Luffy had long since let go of his wrist, and was already running inside. He happily took a seat beside the orange haired woman.

"GOOD MORNING, NAMI!" Luffy shouted cheerfully. Kid observed that the greeting seemed to tick off the orange haired girl.

"Morning," The woman muttered dismissively, still reading the papers in front of her.

Kid stared at the scene from the doorstep. Should he invite himself or wait for the others to tell him? Was he supposed to sit and eat with them? When he was in the infirmary, Trafalgar would give them food from the bed and eat it there. He had no idea what to do but awkwardly stand in the door step and watch as Luffy slammed his fist on the table.

"FOOD! SANJI! WHERE'S BREAKFAST?!" Luffy shouted louder this time.

The orange haired girl shout out to smack the back of Luffy's head and slammed it on the wood slab in front of him. He whimpered in pain and massaged his forehead. "Nami, you're so mean~!"

"And you are loud. It's too early in the morning, Luffy." She said, annoyed, and returned reading the papers. "You'll be in trouble if you wake up Master Trafalgar. You don't want him to be grumpy, do you?"

"No." Luffy replied, pouting. "It's just that I'm so hungry! Where's Sanji!?"

"I don't know," She groaned, and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. She placed her papers down with a thud, clearly giving up on trying to accomplish whatever she was doing.

She wore a long orange garment similar to Robin's dress that complimented her pale skin, and her long orange hair was tied into a ponytail high on her head in what he guessed was the most recent style. The only jewelry Kid saw on her was a thin golden bracelet.

He found the two women he had seen exotically beautiful, and quite different than the ones he grew up with. The woman from his tribe were warriors as well as child bearers, so because of that, there was no place for the feminine beauty that these Roman woman possessed

Nami gave him a curious look and tilted her head a bit. "Are you not going to come in?"

That was the invitation, he guessed.

"Come in, don't be shy," She waved at him to come closer, with a small pleased smile on her face. He nodded and stepped closer.

"Take a seat," She gestured. "You must be Master's new addition~"

Kid slowly grabbed the edge of the wooden furniture and sat on it. It felt extraordinary and comfortable, whatever it was he was sitting in. He hesitated to touch the wooden slab with fruits in a strange bowl. The bowl itself didn't look extraordinary, but how it wasn't deep and seemed to be used for display, like a trap laid out for an animal, made him cautious about touching it.

He slowly placed his hand on the wooden slab and felt the cool, smooth wooden surface. Its texture blew his mind. How were they able to make it smooth to the point where he could almost see his own reflection? It was unbelievably extraordinary.

"Have you not seen a table before?"

Kid flinched and looked up at Nami and Luffy as they were staring at him like he was a rare bug they had happened upon.

"I...haven't." He paused. "This thing is called ta-ble?" He slowly pronounced it, and decided it sounded about right. So, this what a table was.

"Yes, it's called a table, and what you are sitting in right now is called chair."

"Oh," Kid murmured, as he processed the new information, and stored it away in his mind.

"You really are bizarre," Nami commented, " And you speak Greek too! Where did you learned it?"

Kid didn't reply, quite sick and tired people asking him. It seemed that Nami picked up his mood, and didn't push the topic further. She quickly changed the subject.

"There's a lot of rumours about you...Eustass? That is your name right?" She asked.

"No," He replied with a growl, and glared at her.

"Eustass it is!" She smiled, unaffected with the venomous and annoyed glare Kid was giving her.

Before Kid could reply, Luffy interrupted them. "Oh! Oh! I heard a lot of stories about you, Eu..tass..Ow, I bit my tongue."

"It's Eu-s-tass., Luffy." She said, helping the boy to pronounce it. "Look at my lips. Eu-s-tass."

"Eu-s-tass," Luffy repeated successfully. "Oh, I did it!"

"Good!" Nami, praised. "Luffy sometimes has a hard time pronouncing new words or names. He's not a fluent speaker of Greek or Latin."

"I see," Kid replied and observed the two servants in front of him. _So, he's not a_ _Roman_ _or_ _Greek_ _native…_

"But enough about us! Talk about how you were able to survive the _bestia_!" Nami chirped.

There it was again, the _bestia_. He never wanted to hear anything about that hell hole again. Before, he wasn't able to sleep because of the nightmares from the Seer's prophecy, and now it was those damn pits. He'd rather not talk about the place nor what he had done, ever again. All he knew now was look forward, and be happy that he was able to survive. Alive, Breathing. Thinking. That's what he knows now.

"I heard from Zoro that you were drugged too! That's just unfair!" Luffy said, trying to clasp his hand with Kid's.

The redhead slapped the hand away from him, but before he could reply, a blond haired man entered the room with the mouth watering scent of food coming along with him.

"SANJIII!" Luffy howled in delight, and scrambled back to his seat, waiting eagerly for his food.

The cook had shaggy blond hair, with half of it covering the right side of his was face, and stick in his mouth that had the strong scent of herbs and tobacco. He was dressed in simple yellow tunic with simple straw sandals. In fact, there was nothing unusual about the man except his noticeably swirly eyebrows. Nonetheless, Kid did not make a comment and just observed the man's movements.

'Sanji' placed the food in front of Nami with grace, but he just tossed the food in front of him and Luffy like they weren't worth his time. Kid didn't care in the least, and looked at the food, curiously. It was bizarre. The meat was not given as a whole piece, but in neat slices and there were pieces of green leaves to go along with it that made it even more suspicious. But the smell made, Kid mouth watered but he couldn't just ate something that he don't where where came from.

"You must be Eustass." Sanji said, looking at him with a small smile in greeting. "My name is Sanji. I'm the cook."

Kid not knowing what to say, stayed silent, but thankfully that seemed not to bother cook didn't say another word, but sat across from him, and placed down his own food. Kid looked over at Luffy, who's plate was filled with assorted types of meat and some kind liquid covering it. He seemed to be pleased so much so, that he began stuffing his face like a forest squirrel.

Nami had set her papers aside, and started eating some of the green leaves with assorted fruits aside it. The woman ate her food with grace, eating it by bits and pieces, and slowly chewing it with her mouth closed, much unlike Luffy, who was eating his food in a way that even his tribe would have found offensive.

He then focused on his food, but he didn't dare touch it. The servants were friendly enough and certainly a welcoming bunch of people, but he didn't want to eat something without knowing where it came from.

Don't get him wrong, he wasn't a picky eater since in the forest they had to eat whatever they could lay their hands on, but Kid was usually the one who caught his own prey and knew where it came from. Delicious or not, he was skeptical about the food that was made by the blond foreigner.

Sanji ate his food in peace as the other two quarreled about something. Kid just stared at Sanji as he ate his food carefully, but it seemed that the cook was able to sense his burning stare. Their gazes met and Sanji looked down to Kid's plate with a quirked eyebrow.

"Is there something wrong with my food?" He asked, sounding offended.

Kid couldn't help but feel like he should choose his words carefully.

"No. Nothing's wron-" he tried to say, but before he could finish his sentence, Sanji immediately cut him off with a glare.

"I would be pleased,then, if you finished your food and wasted nothing on your plate."

The room was filled with a dangerous silence. Kid gulped and tried to defend himself.

"I mean no disrespect, but I am trained to be skeptical of what food I eat, especially in the place I never been, and in the presence of strangers. This is also food I have never seen." He pointed at the green leaves in his plate as he explained his hesitation.

Sanji and the others looked at him, dumbfounded, before laughing out loud. Kid looked at them, not knowing what was funny about what he said. Sanji slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand.

"I apologize for my actions. That was considerably rude of me, " He said, now scratching the back of his head. "I forgot that you're from the outskirts of Rome's walls in the South. I hate people who waste their food, and I immediately suspected you of doing so. I apologize, Eustass."

Kid 's amber eyes widened as the man's threatening attitude suddenly changed.

Sanji stood, the laughter finally ending, leaned toward to Kid, but not enough to invade his space.

"The meat is called pork, and it was freshly killed just this morning. Usopp, the man who raises the pigs, owns a farm near the villa. You'll meet him someday. He's a great farmer that works for the master. Everything we eat is from his farm and it's always fresh and best quality.

" The green leaves, you pointed out are vegetables. Nothing special about them except they are healthy. Don't worry, I won't dare poison food. It's against my morals. So, eat up." He smiled before returning to his seat and watched him.

"You should try it! Sanji's the greatest and the best cook in all of Rome!" Luffy praised with his mouth still filled with food.

"Luffy! Watch your manners! Swallow your food before you talk!" Nami scolded, smacking the back of Luffy's head, making him actually choke.

"Don't mind them." Sanji said, waving his finger. "Eat up."

Kid nodded and picked his first slice of 'pork' and placed it in his mouth.

He was able to stifle his moan, but just barely. It tasted way better than the wild boar's meat from the forest, and God's from above, it tasted even better with all the spices that the cook had added to it. Kid quickly digged in his food, and was just aware enough to notice Sanji smiling.

"I told you it's good." Sanji said, and he resumed to eat his own meal along with Luffy and Nami.

The rest of the breakfast was normal. They were able to eat in silence the whole period, with the exception of Luffy trying to steal his food, but he was quick and guarded his food with experience.

After his belly was full, he wished to return to his small room, but Luffy immediately dragged him away to show him where the bath's were. He took a bath with Luffy, and was once again impressed as he was instructed to sit down in the warm water of the small, steamy pool that was called a bathhouse.

They chatted for a while, but it ended up with Luffy rambling to Kid about how he wanted to become a pirate of the great seven seas, and traveling around the world. After the bath, he returned to his room and there was a chest filled with more clothes. He took the one that was identical to his previous one, and changed into it, not sure what else to do.

He had no idea what he should do but to follow Trafalgar's orders. Even though how much it bothered him to follow someone's orders besides his fathers, he had no choice but to be smart about the situation and adapt as quickly as he could. Processing everything that comes to new place was critical for survival.

The thing that bothered him the most though, was the man Trafalgar mentioned. The same man that had apparently bought him for Trafalgar's birthday, and made a ridiculous bet at the same time to put weight on Trafalgar's position as a noble.

Trafalgar had described the man as if he was a traitorous, venomous snake that made the physician bare so much more hatred than a normal person could bare in a lifetime. He was immensely curious about who that man was. If he was able to piss off a person as intimidating as Trafalgar, but still be too powerful to touch through legal means, he felt it will be an ominous meeting.

After he got out of his small room, the sun was already shining high up in the sky. Before he could walk away from his door, Sanji came running to him, immediately grabbing his wrist and dragging him off back toward the kitchen.

What was wrong with these people and why did they keep dragging him?

"Quick, the master will be awake soon. You need to deliver his food to his room while it's steaming hot." Sanji said as they arrived in the kitchen.

"Good thing I found you just in time," He said, letting go of Kid's wrist and proceeded on meddling with the items in the kitchen.

He placed two dishes on a rectangle shaped piece of wood that was resting on the table, and then prepared the other two dished with a speed and grace that Kid thought no man should possess.

The first dish was a small plate of rice balls with what looked like slices of fresh fish over the top of them, and the other was a bowl of red meat topped with a strange spicy sauce and steamed vegetables. Sanji placed two cups on the side and filled them with different liquids. One was a hot green liquid that he assumed was tea, and the other smelled like alcohol, although it was deluded.

"Next time, after you take your bath and got ready for the day, come to the kitchen immediately. The master usually wakes up this hour to have breakfast in his bed," Sanji said, like he scolding him for not knowing.

"Now," Sanji said, handing Kid the food, "Be careful when you carry the tray, Eustass. Don't spill anything and watch your step. Also, don't take too long. The master hates his tea cold."

Then he was pushed out of the kitchen. Kid tried his best not to trip, and quickly left the kitchen and walked to Trafalgar's room. He could easily remember where it was since it's the only room in such a gloomy and secluded hallway, away from all the others.

Careful not to spill any contents of the tray he was holding, he walked up to Trafalgar's door. He held the tray with his other hand and hesitated for a moment to open the door. Before Robin opened the door, she had to knock three times and ask for permission. He should knock first then, he guessed.

Kid took a breath and did the same action Robin taught him to do. He rapped on the door, three times and waited for a moment. After a moment, he heard Trafalgar's tired voice from the other side.

"You may come in."

He slowly opened the door and stepped in carefully as he held the tray. He was on watch for that pet white wolf that Trafalgar proclaimed to be tamed, deciding he'd rather be cautious, than be almost bitten again.

The moment, he stepped inside, however, he was greeted with a strong smell of...something. Ignoring the smell, he looked around for room the dark room. The huge window was covered with a cloth that made the room so dim that Kid couldn't see well, and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust before closing the door and walking to the nearest flat surface to set the tray down.

"Did you place it on the table?" He heard Trafalgar say, in the other side of the room.

"I think so," he replied honestly. He couldn't really tell in this black abyss.

He then looked at the other side of the room to where there was a huge bed, over it a canopy covered with thin fabric. Kid couldn't see well what was inside the bed, but he could clearly see the white wolf besides the bed, peacefully sleeping, and minding its own business.

"Can you open the curtains?" He heard Trafalgar ask again.

Kid rolled his eyes, and walked over to the window slowly, minding he might trip over something on the floor. He pulled the cloth back, and the room was suddenly filled with sunshine and air. The breeze flooded the room, and quickly got rid of the stink.

He heard Trafalgar yawn loudly, before groaning, and sitting up. Kid looked at the bed and he could see through it now. There was Trafalgar sitting down at the edge of the bed, naked as the day he was born.

Kid averted his eyes, and quickly backed away, a red blush blooming over his face. The bed was completely different than what he had ever slept on. It was made with some unknown fabric, and a mountain of soft looking pillows and furs as well.

There more movement, and it was then that Kid noticed that Trafalgar was not alone in the bed. The man had a head of black hair, and although he was covered with a small pile of furs, Kid could see clearly see the man had a well-built body, if his broad shoulders and narrow waist were any indication.

"Uhm...Did I interrupt something important?" Kid asked, not knowing what he really did interrupt.

Is that what Romans usually do? He really doesn't want to know or be nosy about it but he couldn't avoid but to ask.

"No, you didn't." Trafalgar replied, still sleepy.

He tried to stand up but he's face suddenly flashed with pain.

He could hear Robin's voice from the back of his head, prompting him. He sighed mentally. "Are you alright?" Kid asked, not overly concerned. Did the man over exert hurt himself somehow?

"I didn't know you would care, Eustass-ya." Law sarcastically replied in a way that ticked Kid off.

"I'm just asking what I've been told to ask by Robin. It's not like a actually care-"

"Watch your mouth, " the physician, no, his… _master_ said, voice full of danger and warning.

Kid shut his mouth, but couldn't help but growl. He just stood there stiffly beside the window, waiting for what other things Trafalgar would order him to do.

"I didn't expect that it would be this painful in the morning," Trafalgar seemed to mumble with a groan to himself, but Kid, with his well tuned hearing, could still hear him clearly.

Kid looked at the food and knew it was getting cold. "Should I bring the food to you?" He asked, walking towards the table in the middle of the room.

"No. Don't. You'll invite ants or worst, rats, into my bed. I don't want to eat in here anyways. It stinks. Carry me over there instead."

"What?" Did he heard the man right?

"Carry. Me. Is that too hard for you to understand?" Trafalgar repeated, impatiently.

"No, I can understand it, you ba-" Kid stopped and bit his lip to stop himself.. He almost swore in front of somebody other than Trafalgar.

The raven raised an eyebrow and waited for Kid to move.

"Can't you just walk over?" Eustass replied, a bit tense.

"I wouldn't have ask if I could do it myself, am I right? Are you always this stupid or is today is just a special day?" Clearly, the doctor was getting more demanding and annoyed, his sarcasm showing Kid what a child the doctor was.

Kid took a breath, as he was almost on the verge of choking the life out of the doctor. It always seemed the doctor could easily push his buttons just by verbal and demanding words.

He tried to relax and walked back over to his 'master's' bed side. The raven was waiting for him, arms already raised. He sighed again, opening the thin fabric that covered the bed.

Once the curtain was pulled aside, and the smell got so strong it made Kid feel a little nauseous . He clearly could see Trafalgar, who was shamefully naked, as well as the patterns of white that were splashed across his caramel skin. The pattern stretched over his chest, upper and lower arms, and even across his knuckles and tops of hands. It made him unconsciously raise his light brows.

"What's that?" He asked as he pointed at Trafalgar's chest.

"It's none of your business. Just carry me to the chair and stop asking questions," Trafalgar replied, somewhat irritated from the question.

The redhead rolled his eyes, annoyed at the doctor surly mood. He placed his arm under Trafalgar's thighs, but not too close to his ass, and the other was on the tanned man's back to give him support.

In one lift, Kid held Trafalgar gently as he could, and slowly walked to the chair near where he placed the food. A shade of red threatened to creep back in his face, but tried his best to hide it. He was used to see men naked all the time, but it was completely different with this man for a reason he couldn't say. The raven didn't make a single comment, and let Kid concentrate on carrying him to the chair.

The doctor was so light, Kid was afraid he'd break the man the moment he placed him in the chair. He placed the raven in the chair as best as he could, deemed it a success. He didn't see the man even flinch in pain, so that was a win. He celebrated his small success in the back of his mind before Trafalgar finally made a comment.

"I expected a harsh trip but you were somewhat gentle when you carried me. I didn't expect you to be a gentle giant."

Kid clicked his tongue, and scoffed. Him? Gentle? Is this man out of his mind?

"I am not," He denied hotly. "And if I was, it is just because I am just doing my job, _Master_."

"Your actions say otherwise," The raven grinned cheekily. Oh, Gods above, give him the strength not to choke the life out of this man! Instead, Kid snarled at the comment.

But Trafalgar laughed it off. "Could you be a gentle giant and get me some fresh water in the water pot, and a clean cloth in the bathroom? I want to have a sponge bath." He asked, well, more like he demanded Kid to do so.

"Now?" This bastard.

"Yes, now."

He turned his back to the raven, trying to calm himself once again. He started looking for a vase filled with water that he easily found it next to the door that it seemed to be already prepared, along with a small basket that was filled with clothes and the clean cloth he needed beside it. He carried the vase with one hand and the basket with the other. and placed it beside Trafalgar.

"There. Are these items good enough?"

"Yes." Trafalgar said, slowly chewing his food. "You may give me a sponge bath now."

"A-what?!" Eustass shouted, surprised.

Trafalgar shot him a glare.

"Lower your voice. You'll wake my companion with your voice. He is already unpleasant enough when he wakes, and I don't want to be around when he eventually does." The raven frowned in distaste. "Didn't Nico-ya, inform you what your tasks are, and what you are required to perform? I am a patient man, but even I have my limits.."

"She told me to help you get dressed every morning, attend to your every need and make sure you sleep every night. Am I doing it wrong?"

"No. That covered most of it. This is one of my needs. Now, help me get rid of this 'thing'." Trafalgar raised his leg as if he was presenting it to Kid like a good meat in display and pointed at some white sticky liquid that was crusted dry to his thighs. "Be quick about it. I'll have to eat at the same time; I still have responsibilities to attend to."

Kid fumed, angrily. Did he really have to give this man-child a bath? He was the future chief of the South Tribe, damnit! Just because Trafalgar might be older than him, and had a leverage over him at the moment, didn't mean he had to do these things…. but knowing he was a slave now made it all a different matter. He once again cursed his luck.

He sighed angrily, and kneeled down. He grabbed the towel, dunked it in the vase, and then squeezed the excess water out to begin to rub Trafalgar's thigh. Once, when he was small, he had given a sponge bath to his sick mother and it wasn't different from that time except the cock that was now in the way.

Trafalgar had absolutely no problem with another person touching his dick whilst giving him a sponge bath as he ate his food. In fact he acted like it was the most casual thing ever, but knowing that this man grew up in this kind of place, being surrounded with this delicacy all his life, Kid knew it was different, and something that he probably would never understand.

As he continued to clean the raven, he couldn't help but to be amazed at how soft Trafalgar's skin was. It was almost identical to a woman's smooth skin. After the legs, he moved to Trafalgar's upper body and there he noticed again all the white marks over him. It seemed like it was apart of his skin. Was it a tattoo? Or Roman noble thing?

Well, whatever it was, it added to Trafalgar's charms. Kid shook his head, but couldn't lie to even himself. To be honest, he thought that Trafalgar was a completely charming, attractive and drop dead gorgeous man, and he couldn't help but to praise the God who even dared to make something as perfect as Trafalgar, that was until the man opened his mouth, began to talk, and exposed that rotten attitude of his.

"How did my other servants treat you?" Trafalgar asked, interrupting Kid's thoughts. He stopped wiping, Trafalgar's chest and looked up.

"The boy called Luffy...He was… bizarre." He concluded safely.

The boy really was strange, and was the only one among the other servants Kid had met that surprised him so much. He stopped, and soaked the towel into the water again, and squeezed it out. After that, he resumed his previous actions but now, on Trafalgar's back and shoulders. He was careful of the raven's injured hand from last night, and avoided getting it wet.

"He didn't cause you trouble, I assume?"

"I tried to kill him early this morning," He said, nonchalantly. There was no lie there.

"Oh, really now?" Trafalgar replied, though he did not even sound surprised.

"I woke up with him on top of me, grinning ear to ear as he kept yelling about breakfast. He was some boy."

Trafalgar chuckled. "That 'boy' is not your typical one. He's one of the best, and youngest gladiators."

Kid paused. "A gladiator? That child is a warrior?"

"Gladiators are not warriors, Eustass. They are slaves that fight for roman citizens entertainment. Whoever told you that is a delusional fool."

Kid paused. Portgas lied? "Luffy is a slave then? A boy as young as him is used as an entertainment?" Roman's sure were sick fucks.

Trafalgar turned his head and raised his eyebrow. "This is what Rome is, Eustass-ya. You can't change it. If the gladiators earn enough they can always buy their freedom, and Luffy only looks like a boy. In fact, he's married to Nami, a servant scholar of mine that studies the weather. A weird couple, I say, but it is what it is because I allowed it. In Rome the rich have the power."

"But..."

"Don't let his looks deceive you. Luffy might be young, but he is a well-seasoned gladiator from blood and birth. Men who underestimate him always end up dead, defeated or worse."

Kid felt an unease settle over him. A boy- no, a man, like that could even kill? He was surprised. Luffy didn't looked like he could kill a fly, let alone a full grown man, but then he remembered the boy's reflexes from earlier that morning, and it didn't seem so surprising..

He placed down the towel, satisfied with his work. Trafalgar was now clean and there was no trace of dirt or that crusty white stuff. Now, to dress the man.

He mentally groaned.

Trafalgar continued to drink his tea as Kid laid down the man's clothes over the chair for him to easily slip into, but he noticed one item was missing.

"The loincloth is missing," He said. "Where can I find the chest for your under garments?"

"I don't wear any." Trafalgar replied casually, and continued sipping his drink, looking calm as fuck.

"Uhm." Didn't it bother him, naked? Like all the time? Didn't he need to protect his fucking balls in this weather? This man was getting more bizarre the more time he spent with him.

"It doesn't bother me. " Trafalgar commented easily, as if he could read Kid's mind. "It will be hot at noon with the toga and tunic. I feel more comfortable without it."

"Are you sure?" He asked, still doubtful.

"Yes. Stop asking questions and do your work. I don't have the whole day."

Kid bit his lip. Patience, Kid, patience. He took the tunic first and presented it to Trafalgar. It was a simple white tunic with a few gold designs on the neckline, and waited for the man to put his drink aside.

As Trafalgar did. He tried to slowly stand up but Kid saw the flash of pain in his face. "Dear Zeus, that man did a number on me, but barely made me feel good." Trafalgar groaned.

"Who's _he_?" Kid asked before he could stop himself.

"No one you needn't to be concerned about. So fuck off." Trafalgar snapped, irritated.

'What a moody bastard', Kid thought as he tried to hold Trafalgar's arm, and help him up, but the doctor slapped the hand away and used the table instead as leverage.

"I'm fine. Now, do your job."

Kid quickly ignored him and helped him get dressed. Trafalgar raised his arms and the tunic slipped right over his arms, and onto his body perfectly. The Saffron toga was next and he put it around Trafalgar as Robin taught him to do.

"Good, although, with these domestic skills, I am beginning to doubt you were a warrior back in your tribe."

 _Home._ That stung his heart, but he set the feeling aside. He ignored Trafalgar's rude jab at his pride, and turned his attention to the doctor. He couldn't believe that a grown man like Trafalgar needed someone to help him dress, but seeing him barely able to stand up made Kid doubt his inner thoughts.

Quickly wrapping up his work by tying the leather scandals on Trafalgar's feet, Kid felt proud at finishing his task. Trafalgar looked good except from the dark eyebags and irritated look.

The doctor turned around, and limped to his table. There he grabbed 4 or 5 rolls of paper and handed it to him.

"Carry this. We are going to head to the _sacrarium_ for me to pray to Apollo before we start the day." Trafalgar instructed and walked out of the door with Eustass following behind. Who's Apollo?

"What about the other man?" Kid asked, looking behind him to the bed where the other man was still asleep with the wolf below.

"Don't mind him. He'll leave soon as he eats his food. I pay him enough to keep him from causing trouble," Trafalgar assured as he stopped and looked at Kid. "And I told you to stop asking questions," He warned again, and continued walking with the redhead behind him.

The walk was short one, and after walking down a few decorated hallways and other spaces, they arrived to what it seemed to be a corner of the enormous house. There. in the corner, was a small space with some small furniture that seemed to be an altar of some sort.

The small roof was made in stone like marble, with four small supporting pillars on each side. There was an image of a person with ab real crown of laurel on his head and a gold urn beside it. Trafalgar took a two sticks from a tray beside the altar, and lite them. He then lowered his head and mumbled words in what Kid assumed was foreign.

Kid looked at the doctor, observing every move he made. He couldn't help compare the worship to that of his own tribes gods. It was bizarre.

Trafalgar took the gold urn out of the altar, held it close to his body as if he was hugging a person so tight, and spoke.

"The only things I remember are the things I wish I could forget, Corasan. But I will never forget about you. Never."

Trafalgar placed back the urn to its previous place and bowed again to the figure.

"Great god Apollo, I pray for your guidance today and the everyday forthcoming. Please grant me strength and wisdom for the decisions that I shall make, and guide those who work below me. Thank you for your love, oh god Apollo. "

After the offering at the altar of the God named Apollo, Trafalgar stepped out of the room and gave him a look.

"Is there a problem?" He asked Kid, eyebrow quirked up.

"Apollo?" Kid replied, asking a question. He was simply curious.

"He is one of the great gods of Rome, Eustass-ya. The God of the sun, music, archery, eloquence, healing and prophecy. You know how to speak Greek, but whoever taught you, never bothered to tell you about the roman culture? I am beginning to doubt you were able to learn it without force."

"It was just a question. You don't have to be doubtful about anything. I learn what I want to learn."

"Willing to learn the roman culture, I see." Trafalgar held his chin. "Since you sound so eager to know about the culture, I will tell Robin to educate you in the Roman ways and traditions. It might help you in the future and it benefits me as well. To have a curious and smart _pedissequum_ who's able to fight as my companion would be the best gift I've received."

Trafalgar smirked in a way that didn't make Eustass comfortable.

"Wha-" The redhead began, but was immediately interrupted by small child, screaming Trafalgar's name.

"Master Trafalgar!" The brown haired boy screamed at the top of his lungs, running towards them with tears in his eyes.

"What is it, Chopper?" Trafalgar didn't even have the decency to sound alarmed as the boy almost flew to him and clutched his toga, trembling in fear.

"It's Ace! He's missing!"


	5. Act I Part V

**Act I, Part V**

Trafalgar didn't say a word as the boy rambled on, "He heard the senator would visit today, and he insisted that he was well and wanted to return home! Of course, I said no to him, Master, but when I checked in on him this morning, he wasn't in his bed! I should have paid better attention! I'm sorry, master!"

"Shush, child." Trafalgar said dismissively as he cracked his knuckles, and Kid swore the man was about to kill someone with his own bare hands. That someone probably being Ace... "Chopper, I shall take care of that missing idiot. I assure you needn't worry and return to your room and study."

"Of course, Master." Chopper said, his young voice still trembling slightly, and he bowed his head before he left.

The doctor gritted his teeth. "Once I find that freckled little shit, I'll sew his skin in the fucking bed and break every fucking bone he's got." He said once the little boy was out of earshot. Kid took a mental note that angering the doctor while he was in a mood like this, was not wise.

They continued to walk until they arrived in a room filled with shelves and tables that were littered with different papers and ink quills. The two female servants, Nami and Robin, were scurrying about, but at the entrance of their master, they stopped what they were doing, and gave a slight bow towards the doctor in unison.

"Master," they said before Trafalgar waved his hand, dismissing them back to their work.

Trafalgar placed his hand on his hip and took a long, deep breath.

"Portgas D. Fucking Ace!" He said loudly, his voice echoing in the room. "I know that you are in here!"

Silence met his call.

The two female servants, wide eyed, pointed behind a shelf of scrolls, fearing to anger the doctor further.

Trafalgar marched over to where the two servants pointed, and was about to rip apart the shelf and beat the shit out of Ace with the pieces, when two hands appeared from the stack, held up in surrender.

"I apologize!" Portgas shouted with fear in his voice as he slowly walked out from behind the shelf, and kneeled in front of Trafalgar who was emitting a very threatening aura. Portgas was only dressed in a white tunic, his arms and legs covered with dirtied bandages that had been hastily rewrapped, proof of his hasty escape.

"Who gave you permission to leave your bed, Portgas?" Trafalgar asked, coldly.

"No one," Portgas said, averting his eyes.

"Then why did you leave?"

"I was bored…." He muttered, loud enough for Law to hear him.

"Since when you are not bored, Portgas? Resting your body will not make your abilities and skills rusty, you fool."

"But I am well enough, and ready to fight again! Just let me go home," The gladiator begged.

Trafalgar glared at the man. "But that isn't the only reason you want to leave, isn't?" he asked. It was then Kid noticed the shadow of a new figure creep up behind them.

Kid whirled around, sword half way out of his scabbard, and his heart pumping the adrenaline to his body in preparation for a fight.

"Trafalgar, you don't have to glare at Ace every time you lay your eyes on him," the newcomer spoke, his deep voice soft, but enough for the whole room to hear him.

When everyone did noticed, Nami and Robin dropped their scrolls, and lowly bowed down to the person.

Kid, who had been watching the exchange in silence, just stared at him, curious. The man's blond hair was cut in choppy tuffs that looked like they were sprouting from the top of the man's head. He wore a white toga that was decorated with a purple stripe, and a white tunic underneath with gold necklaces decorating its collar.

"Senator Marco Phoenix Newgate, you've arrived too early," Trafalgar greeted rudely.

"Still so charming, Trafalgar. You haven't change since the last time I saw you," Marco replied, unfazed of the doctor's rudeness. His eyes flicked to the freckled gladiator after a moment. "I see my best gladiator loves your hospitality, Trafalgar," he added, playful sarcasm lacing his words.

"Marco!" Portgas cried, still kneeling in the ground, "Trafalgar is so mean to me!" He whimpered, like a child placing all manners aside.

"Ace, mind your manners," Marco ordered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That's because you disobeyed him," Marco scolded, earning another whimper from the freckled gladiator that acting more like a child than the deadly warrior he proclaimed he was.

"I wasn't aware of your early arrival, Senator Newgate, but alas, since you have arrived..." Trafalgar said, and averted his attention to the newcomer, already had forgotten about Ace.

Trafalgar gave a small wave with his hand to the servants to carry on with their tasks. Trafalgar walked towards the Senator and whispered word in the blond's ear.

The blond nodded after a moment. "Lead the way."

"Eustass-ya, please watch Portgas and follow us to the balcony." Trafalgar instructed, before leading the way for the senator to follow.

Kid nodded and approached Portgas, who gave him a glare, and immediately stood up from the ground, proving he didn't have to be watched and treated as a child. In Kid's opinion, if a man could stand on his own without trouble, then he was considered well enough to do what he pleased. Having this line of thinking, he couldn't understand why Trafalgar insisted for the freckled gladiator to have more rest than necessary. But, hey, he wasn't a doctor, so he really had no right to question Trafalgar's actions.

The redhead followed Portgas outside the door, but before stepping out, he gave a quick look at Robin, who gave him a smile in return, as well as a small wave. The two men walked behind their respective masters at a distance. The two masters didn't utter a single word to one another until they reached the balcony at the far end of the manor.

The terrace had a decorated table and chairs for the two men to sit comfortably in while they admired a spectacular view of the mountains and sea. Below, the balcony was a small courtyard made of sand. In it were a few human like dummies made out of wood, and what looked like other training gear. The walls surrounding the courtyard were tall, and had spikes made of broken pottery, glass, and rocks plastered on the top of it to prevent unwanted guests from breaking in… or perhaps to keep people from getting out...Kid bit the inside of his cheek. Another obstacle to account for.

" _Eustass_ , the scrolls," Trafalgar snapped irritably, seeming to repeat his instructions.

Kid immediately placed the scrolls on the table, and with a horribly disguised blush of embarrassment, stepped back beside Portgas. The raven stood there, arms crossed, and clearly trying to put holes on Trafalgar's head with his narrowed stare. Kid wished that stares were enough to intimidate Trafalgar Law, but that day would come when hell froze over. He decided to be quiet as well, watching the raven, and the blond senator.

Senator Newgate, as Law called him, read the scrolls closely, his his brow deepening into a frown the longer he read. Kid could see the symbols and letters clearly but he couldn't read them. Some words were familiar, but most weren't, and he knew there was no use in trying to read it unless he wanted a headache and a lot of frustration.

Kid glanced at Portgas who wasn't curious about the scroll, and just stayed still, his gaze now locked on the senator.

Trafalgar waited for Marco to finish reading the scrolls, and after what seemed like forever, Newgate placed the scrolls neatly back into their original states, and handed them back to Trafalgar, who just placed it aside on the table next to them.

"Well?" Trafalgar spoke, breaking the deafening silence.

"I would like for us to talk alone, Trafalgar," Newgate spoke as he gave a Portgas a look.

The freckled gladiator nodded, and Trafalgar gave Kid the same look, dismissing him.

"Go with Portgas. Don't let him out of your sight." Trafalgar ordered, turning back around without another thought.

Kid simply nodded, mentally rolling his eyes. Great, now he had to babysit another man with a child's mind.

"I don't need him to follow me around! I am perfectly fine, Ma-" Portgas raised his voice in protest, but Newgate simply shook his head. The act silenced the raven.

"Ace, where have your manners gone to? I've left you for three weeks, and you've forgotten everything I've taught you? Learn to respect the household master's wishes!" Marco reproached, his blue eyes flashing threateningly.

"But Mar-" Portgas tried to protest again, but was interrupted by Marco's intense stare.

Kid felt that there was something in that stare other than a simple reprimand, but he was knew to the romans and their weird customs. He watched as Portgas closed his mouth, and averted his gaze from the senator. Portgas ducked his head, and stepped away from the two masters, Kid behind him and eyeing his movements. Portgas bowed lightly, turned around and left without another word. Kid imitated the gesture awkwardly, and followed quickly after the strange, freckled raven.

The gladiator navigated the similar hallways with ease, as if the raven lived in the villa himself. Being new to this place, as well as the society he was now expected to imitate, Kid looked at the decorations with awe.

There were decorations left and right, each amazing and unique piece different than the one before it. As they passed a very large wall, Kid's attention was captured by a cloth hanging on the wall. It depicted a figure of four legged animal that Kid had never seen before. He could see the gold thread spun throughout the tapestry, and as well as the jewels.

He wanted to know how to make such items, and bring that knowledge back to the tribe. Such things would be worth more than ten bear skins in their tribe. The profits from trading with the out lying villages would be doubled, tripled even, with such finery.

"Haven't you been in this part of the villa before?" Portgas asked incredulously when he noticed Kid's reaction.

"Nope," he answered honestly, ignoring his tone. "I've only seen Tra… er, the master's chambers, kitchen, and the infirmary, really."

Portgas scoffed at Kid's tone and manner. "I haven't seen you for a day, and you are already the masters bitch, eh?" Portgas commented savagely, trying to goad him. "I guess your master offered you something valuable, uh? Was it to get back your pathetic excuses for comrades?"

Kid bristled, his hand clenching on the hilt of his sword, and his face contorting in anger. That bastard! Screw the deal, he was ready to cut the damn brat into little pieces, and throw them to the dogs!

But in the back of his mind, he knew couldn't do it. It would violate the terms of the contract Law had set. It was a private deal between him and Trafalgar, and even though he didn't like it, he knew he had to trust the doctor to hold up his end of the deal. He snarled, but chose not to reply further to Portgas. The raven snorted in disbelief, but chose not to say anything further as he turned ,and stomped away.

Portgas rounded some more corners he before he stopped at a large window. He stepped forward, and looked below at what seemed to be another part of the unused training grounds. Kid felt the hair of his neck stood up as memories from the pits surfaced, and lingered in his mind. He hated to admit the arrogant ass was right, but Trafalgar was spot on when he said the fear was still there.

During his musings, Portgas had climbed into the window, and sat down. His long legs hung down over the edge, swinging lazily. Kid looked at Portgas, confused, and stepped closer to him.

The moment he stepped forward, though, Portgas disappeared.

Kid felt his heart went into his throat. Did he just jump?! He ran to the window, and looked down, expecting the raven to be a splat on the ground below. He didn't see hide nor hair Portgas, the raven not in sight.

Kid gritted his teeth with a curse. He could imagine Trafalgar's glare, and patronizing lecture for letting the freckled gladiator out of his sight. _Damn it all! Fuck!_ , he thought.

He placed a hand on the window ledge, and without a second thought, Kid jumped out of the window, and landed on the sandy ground gracefully, knees bent to lighten the impact. Nevertheless, the jolt jarred his still freshly healed wounds. Yep, he thought as he grunted, he was definitely going to punch the freckled man in the face.

But before Kid can stand up, and get his ground, he was greeted by a metal sword right to the face. He barely managed to duck in time, rolling away from the attack. Portgas didn't stop there, though. He continued the assault, and attacked the redhead with everything he had.

Every swing he was packed with strength, and precision, giving Kid barely any time to recover his wits, and unsheath his own sword to parry the incoming attacks. All Kid could do was dodge everything, and wait for the freckled gladiator to make a small opening. But Portgas was quick on his feet, as he struck every moment he could, and his form flawless.

Is this what a well-season gladiator was? Strong, agile, and dangerous? Kid knew now that he was facing a warrior that fought countless battles. He smirked as he rolled away, and sprung back onto his feet. But for all his fancy swordsmanship, Portgas was no barbarian. Form and timing meant nothing to someone like him.

His blood began to boil with excitement, that awesome feeling he experienced in all his battles that brought him a blood lust like no other, and a focus that was as sharp as a razor blade.

He doesn't care what Portgas intention was, only he seemed to want a battle till death. Kid once again dodged another attack from Portgas's deadly sword, but it doesn't faltered Portgas's moral or his stamina as he swung on, aiming for Kid's head with every blow.

Kid could hear incoherent shouting from afar, but he didn't let his gaze leave Portgas, examining everything about him, calculating his movements for an opening. He followed the man's every swing, muscle twitch, even his breathing pattern.

One of the first rules he had ever learned from his father: Never underestimate an opponent. The words rang again and again in his mind, but despite all his efforts, Portgas still didn't make even a small opening for him to attack. That was starting to piss him of, more than he cared to admit. The only thing they were doing was repeating a damn pattern! Change it up already!

It was then a realization, and an idea crossed his mind. It would be perfect if he could just time it right. He waited while Portgas continued his ferocious strikes towards Kid's vital spots and after the next cycle, he saw his chance.

For a moment, everything seemed slow to Kid's eyes. Portgas almost landed a perfect strike on Kid's chest, missing merely an inch. Kid then took advantage of the moment. He spun not away the rave, but _toward_ him, and aimed his right elbow to strike Portgas's face as hard as he could.

His blow landed squarely on the man's nose with a sickening crack. The force was enough to make the man skid back, landing on the sandy arena.

"Whub duh puck?!" Portgas howled, in pain, clutching his bleeding, and most definitely broken, nose. His ebony eyes stared at him, widened in shock before a disturbing smile graced his lips.

Kid stared at the man, completely unimpressed by the man's show of masculinity. He discarded the reserves he had about not killing the man, and wasted no time to unsheathe his sword. He took his stance, controlled his breathing, and waited for the freckled man to come at him again.

Portgas stood up as if the hit he sustained, didn't faze him. His blood slicked fingers picked up his sword, and aimlessly pointed it at Kid as if this whole fight was a joke.

Kid raised his eyebrow. _What?_

"You surprised me there, **Eustass!** " Portgas spoke his name with a dark tone. Kid noted the dangerous grin that decorated the freckled man's lips after he spit out a glob of blood onto the sand, and the ebony eyes that stared at him, emotionless. "But let's see if you can parry this."

With no more warning, Portgas jumped in the air so high, Kid couldn't believe it was possible. Kid should have realized the raven's plan, but he didn't until he was blinded by the sun. He barely managed to parry the raven's attack. There was so much much force behind it that he could feel his bones creak. He grinned his own tooth grin at Ace before shoving him away.

Kid quickly countered the freckled man's attack with his own strength, sending the raven back to the sandy ground. Portgas smoothly turned his body, and landed smoothly on the sandy ground, and attacked again with more ridiculously fancy moves that Kid had never seen before. The raven kept striking him, looking for Kid's opening, but the redhead countered every move the raven could make.

Kid gritted his teeth. It was harder than expected to keep up with the raven's moves now that the guy was adding some unpredictable and peculiar attacks seemingly out of nowhere, but the longer he fought Portgas, the more used to the raven's body movements he was getting.

As Portgas thrusted his sword right towards his neck, Kid was barely able to dodge it, and reflexively followed Portgas's blade, and forgot about the other aspects of the raven's movements.

Unfortunately for Kid, Portgas used Kid's mistake as leverage, and hit Kid in the face, pushing him backwards. Kid felt the sting of pain in his lower jaw and when he licked his lips, he tasted a bit of blood in his tongue.

"I don't think you can punch, Portgas," He said, disregarding the small swirl in his vision, and adjusted his stance "You should just stick to using your sword."

"Fucking hell, Eustass," Portgas replied, mockingly a friendly town. " I hit you square in the jaw and you didn't even feel a thing! Marvelous! We should spar again sometime, if you can survive today," He added threateningly.

"You're just all talk, aren't yah? You can't fucking hit me with all those strikes!" Kid insulted as he held his chin, intentionally dropping down his guard to mock the other warrior. "From what I heard, gladiators aren't warriors at all, but slaves for entertainment, am I right?"

Kid knew he hit a sensitive nerve as Portgas gritted his blood stained teeth, and glared at him. " _Fuck you_."

Kid smirked, and readied himself to attack. It was his turn now. As he applied pressure in his legs, he buried his sandaled feet in the sand. He built all his remaining power in his thighs, and held the sword with his left, his right hand extended in the air as his eyes locked Portgas.

Portgas seemed to take him seriously and adjusted the hold on his sword, and lowering his whole body almost reaching the sandy terrain below.

Both warriors has the same thought in their mind: It was to end the battle with one strike.

As the cold wind passed by, howling in the intense silence of the battlefield, the two warriors waited for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Then, like they shared a similar thought, the warriors charged at each other with all the strength, ready to kill each other as if they were mortal enemies.

It was when the two men were a meter from each other's throats, Kid's whole body halted as if it frozen. As Kid slowly looked down, and he met another set of emotionless ebony eyes, staring at him with no sense of danger and fear.

"Luffy?!" Portgas exclaimed angrily, "Let us go!"

It seemed Portgas was in the same situation as him. Kid hadn't made a single movement, concentrated on not letting his body react to Luffy's hold on his throat. Law's words rang in the back of mind and he wasn't in the mood at this point to figure out if he was right.

The young man was wielding a weapon composed of leather and iron spikes. It covered Luffy's whole arm up to the elbows, and Kid could spot the hidden blade in the folds of the wrist. It was obvious it was made for close combat, and those dangerous spikes were tapered into needle sharp points that, if stabbed into an artery, could kill them in seconds.

"The Master has told me to stop you two from fighting," Luffy said, dangerously. "I would also prefer if my brother," Luffy turned his head to look from Portgas to Kid, "And my new _amicus_ , stop their senseless fighting."

The two grown men swallowed the lump in their throats and nodded. Only then did Luffy drop them to the ground.

The two fell with to the ground with a loud thud. Kid got to his feet and dusted his ass off, and sheathed his sword. It was then he heard a snore. Kid and Luffy both looked down and saw Portgas sprawled down in the ground, fast asleep.

Luffy started laughing like a distressed seal, clutching his sides, and wiping the tears coming out from eyes.

Kid was completely baffled.

"How…?" He was at a loss for words. These Romans were sure some weird mother fuckers….

"He fell asleep again! Stupid Ace!" Luffy said, in between laughs.

Kid was debating which of the two idiot brothers was weirder until he caught a glimpse of the two masters walking toward them. They were both pinching the bridge of their noses, and groaning in unison.

Luffy stopped laughing, stood up and brushed the sand off his tunic and smiled at the two clearly pissed masters.

"Master, I stopped them!" Luffy exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear like a puppy being praised.

"I sincerely apologize for the actions of my slave, and the troubles he has caused you, Trafalgar. I am ashamed, and can assure you that he will be punished severely for his transgressions," The senator spoke, placing his hand on Trafalgar's shoulders in apology.

"You don't have to pretend to be so reprimanding and contrite. I am not a fool, Senator," Trafalgar replied sharply, rudely slapped the blonde's hand away. "He has proven himself that he is worthy to fight again, but I will give you a warning."

"A warning?" The senator raised a thin eyebrow.

Trafalgar pointed at Portgas's sleeping figure. "His previous injuries were grave, and he only pulled through because of me. If he is that careless again, don't you dare bring him back to me. There is no way, I shall help him again, understood? I was simply you a favor, Senator, so that in the future, you owe me ."

"I was aware you don't do things with expecting something in return, Trafalgar," the senator replied, unfazed. "We shall leave the villa promptly, as I have other business to attend to."

Trafalgar crossed his arms. "I shall give you time to decide about my offer, then."

"I appreciate the consideration," Marco flatly replied. "Luffy and-" Marco looked at Kid head to toe. "Who are you again?"

"Can't you tell? He's my newest slave." Law replied cheekily, and it made Kid want to slap him.

"I know that," Marco said, and rolled his eyes. "What's the lads name?"

 _Lad?_ Kid pressed his lips shut to stop the foul words that had formed in his mouth, and looked at Trafalgar, uncertain what he was supposed to say.

"Tell him the name I gave you," Trafalgar seems to able to read his mind. Again.

Kid swallowed the words in his throat once again, and took a moment to calm down before he spoke. "Eustass," he said through slightly gritted teeth.

It felt like he bit his own tongue as that 'name' left his lips.

"Ah, I see you understand greek. Well, I apologize for my slaves actions earlier. He's quite a stubborn man, you see," Marco gave him a small smile and his eyes caught on the hilt of the sword at his waist. "I see you fight with a sword as well," he commented.

Kid nodded.

Marco held out his hand, and Kid got the meaning, and carefully, but regretfully, handed the man his sword. The senator studied the sword, observing every detail of it.

"A gladius sword seems to fit for you well enough, Eustass, but I don't think you can show your full potential with just one, am I correct?"

Kid eyes widened, speechless of the deduction of the blonde.

"Your right hand..." He clarified for the confused looks on the other men's faces, and grabbed Kid's right hand. He held it up, looking at the palms and fingers. "The calluses on your palms and fingers tell me that your right hand can wield a sword as good as your left, and you evenly can use your strength in both. I've seen few people that are evenly balanced enough to wield dual swords, Eustass. It seems the Gods have given you quite a talent. "

Kid snorted on the back of his mind. Gods, yeah, okay. Fuck them.

"It seems you can also use a bow as well, am I right?" Marco asked, a small smile creeping to his lips as he read the answer on Kid's face.

Kid hesitantly nodded. "How did you know?"

"I have a fair share of experience, but it is the notched creases on the pads of your fingers," Marco replied with a small laugh, and gave him back his sword. "Now, Luffy and Eustass, please carry Ace to my carriage and we shall leave at once."

"Can't we wait till he's awake? I wanted to say goodbye," Luffy asked, almost begging.

Marco frowned. "I wish I could, young man, but I have matters to attend to that require my immediate attention."

"I understand, Senator," Luffy lightly nodded, but his voice still held disappointment.

After heaving Ace's heavy carcass into the senator's carriage, Kid stared sadly at the gates of the villa as it slowly closed shut behind their departing visitors. It was then that Kid started to feel doubt clouding his heart, and he was unsure if he could ever escape this place. After fighting Ace, he realized that there was alot he still needed to learn, and that being isolated in his village had left much to be desired. He sighed.

Even maybe even the so called 'Gods' gifts' that had been given to him wouldn't be enough to help him through this.


	6. Act I Part VI

**CHAPTER 6** DONE

Throughout the first week after Kid's recovery, fighting with Portgas, and adjusting to the life of living as Trafalgar's slave, Kid met most of the other servants in the villa. Franky, who was the blacksmith, had been kind enough to make another sword that matched the one he already wielded.

In his time there, Kid also found out that Franky and Robin were free and married citizen. It bothered Kid that free slaves like themselves would serve someone like Trafalgar willingly. But despite all the new things that surrounded him, Kid's new life fell into a routine that bored him to no end.

Every morning was the same thing: he woke up, ate breakfast, bathed, and then woke and took care of Trafalgar. He also had to follow the doctor everywhere he went, but the man barely did anything interesting and spent all his time reading an endless rack of scrolls that seemed to pile up every morning Kid arrived to finish the previous stack.

He would work endlessly from morning until evening. It made Kid understand a bit why Trafalgar was such an important person and was respected so much by others. He put everything into his work and did it to the best of his ability.

Some roman officials would even personally call on Trafalgar, begging for him to cure their illness and repeatedly calling him ' _Asclepius'_. Kid had no idea what _that_ meant, as he was still learning more about the Roman culture from Robin, but he assumed it was some sort of compliment, seeing as Law would get irritated and ask them coldly to refrain from using 'such a name for someone like him'.

During this week, when he wasn't forced to be with Trafalgar, Robin was able to teach him that was deemed important by Trafalgar. To the doctor, having a slave that could write, read, and fight, was a rare and expensive item. Not knowing why he needed to learn this junk, Kid thought it irrelevant to his mission to find his friends and told Law as much.

Yet, much to the surprise of everyone, including Trafalgar, he slowly learned how to speak Greek more fluently, learned the basics of how to write the symbols, and also read them with relative ease. Soon, he was forced to read aloud stories about the Roman gods and copy them over and over again. He must have read dozens of the scrolls in Law's library, but his favorite was probably the one Robin made him read about the Roman God named Mars, the God of War. As a warrior himself, Kid could appreciate his blood lust and hunger for good fights.

At the moment, he was reading the story aloud in front of Trafalgar in the privacy of the elders room to show the doctor how much he had progressed in his fluency. Kid tried his best to focus on reading the symbols properly, word by word, careful to not stumble over the words.

It was completely easy to read in front of Robin, as she taught with a patience and encouragement that reminded him of a mother's touch and care. Robin had a vast knowledge of Rome's and other countries histories contained in her dark eyes, but the woman was also a warrior like Bonney. His thoughts were suddenly back with his tribe and he had a strong longing to feel the sun of his country on his back and the grass beneath his feet.

"Again," Trafalgar exclaimed, his voice suddenly jarring Kid from his thoughts.

He forgot the doctor was there, sitting in his chair, legs crossed and sipping his drink. It didn't take someone smart as Robin to figure out that the doctor wasn't in a good mood after just finishing an enormous amount of work. Kid knew the moment the doctor took a sip of the wine, it was a bad omen of oncoming insults and sarcastic replies.

"I said again!" Trafalgar repeated, annoyed.

Kid seethed at the harsh command, but nodded and re-read from the beginning. Again.

"Read it till you speak it right," The doctor interrupted as he took another sip of his dark wine and made a noise that caused Kid to stutter at the end of the sentence. The doctor wore only his tunic this time, despite the cold wind of the night.

Kid gritted his teeth, avoiding to crumple the scroll in his hands as he clenched them.

"Again," He repeated as he placed the cup on the table, not even slightly intimidated by Kid trying to put holes into the doctor's head with his gaze. "I said again. Stop acting like a child, Eustass, and read the whole scroll from the start!"

That was the last straw. Unable to hold his temper any longer, Kid roared in anger, grabbing the gold cup and throwing it across the room, where it smashed against the wall. His glare intensified at Trafalgar as he tried to catch his breath from the sudden release of anger that had been building up all night long.

Trafalgar quirked his eyebrow, not even slightly intimidated.

"Do you think you can intimidate me, Eustass?" he asked as he stood up and crossed his arms. "You pronounced the words 'Romulus' and 'Remus' wrong, and you halted several times while reading the story of the Vestal Virgin Rhea Silvia! If you cannot read properly, then I have no use for you! You have to read everything on the scroll perfectly! Every paragraph, every sentence, and every word! Every single name! Recite them with minimal effort, with grace and perfection! How you are reading it to me now is like a child!"

Kid growled. There it was again. The doctor was a perfectionist. Every single time, in whatever he did, it had to meet Trafalgars ridiculous standards. It was like this the whole week they were together, not a single foot could be out of place and that ticked off Kid's temper to no extent. He was trying his best, damn it, and to be forced to read, learn, and write about another's traditions and culture with little to no preparation, was ridiculous. These expectations were driving him insane.

"Why are you so obsess of perfection!?" He shouted and it felt like sandpaper in his throat as his voice echoed in the room. "Why must everything has to be perfect to you? I've been trying to learn as to my best of abilities! But not even once you said that you were satisfied! What the fuck is wrong with you!?"

"This is who I am, you dispensable slave! Speak to me like that again and I'll forget about our deal and might as well throw you to the mines till you die working to your whim!" Trafalgar screamed, completely angered by the red head's words. Kid was taken back as for the first time, the doctor showed emotions of anger that he had never shown before. He had known the doctor for a month and he had never gotten this emotional. "Everything must be perfect! Not a foot! Not a single hair out of place! This is how I became who I am now! I didn't use my power as a noble to reach my place in this noxious society! So, if I were you, better watch your words, you fucking asshole!"

Kid was left speechless. Words seems to left his own brain, completely overwhelmed to the doctor's outburst. This man has gone through a lot in his life, Kid could see that fact as clear as water. He wanted to touch the man. How unmanly it might seem, he wanted to comfort the him.

He reached for the doctor's shoulder, that made the doctor flinched.

"May I interrupt?" An unfamiliar voice spoke at the door. They looked at the door in unison and there was a young man, maybe in his late 20's, with black curly hair that stuck out in every direction. Nothing looked special to the man except he was exceptionally tall but not as tall as Kid himself.

Kid looked at Trafalgar who immediately returned to his usual and emotionless self. The same man who rarely shows emotions that normally embodied a human being.

" _Aeolus,_ you arrived earlier than the time we've talked about." Trafalgar replied as he walked towards the door, letting the unfamiliar man 'Aeolus' inside his chambers. As if in reflex, the wolf growled who was resting besides Kid's feet.

"Early? I wasn't, Law~!" Aeolus replied with a playful and flirtatious smile on his lips.

Kid felt his nerves flared up in anger for a reason he could not classify. This man in front of Trafalgar, something was off with him that bothered him greatly. His instincts screamed to kill this man the moment he laid eyes on him, but the reason not to do so was Trafalgar himself who stood in his way.

Is this man Trafalgar's lover? Was this man the same one he saw before? He had nothing against men fucking one another, because he was raised in a tribe where loving a person wasn't limited on gender and numbers. He was aware that his parents had lovers but they kept it in private as he hadn't been blessed by the coming of age ceremony.

Aeolus grabbed Trafalgar's waist, pulling him closer to his body, pulled a fistful of the doctor's hair, and forcefully kiss his lips.

Kid froze and found his blood boil hotter. Kid couldn't help but to stare at the two figures, kissing so deeply in front of him. Aeolus' hands traveled every part of Trafalgar's body, making the doctor moan loud enough for him to hear. Kid could tell the doctor was faking every moan that left his lips, as Aeolus' hand crept down to Trafalgar's thigh and up to his manhood, making the doctor's breath hitch.

Aeolus opened his eyes, stared back to Kid with a smirk on his lips before biting the doctor's neck so hard that Trafalgar screamed in pain, pressing his body closer to the blond's.

Kid glared at him intensely.

The blond stopped biting Trafalgar as soon as blood trickled down his back. The man licked the blood off Trafalgar's shoulders which made the doctor moan again painfully.

"Shouldn't you do something with this slave of yours?"

Trafalgar turned his head towards him. His face was flushed with red, drool trickled down his mouth and his eyes seemed to drown in lust.

Kid was wrong. He was completely wrong about the doctor faking his moans. Trafalgar enjoyed the rough and painful treatment of the blond, and that irritated him. His fingers were itching but he held himself.

"Eusta-!" Trafalgar howled as the blond roughly grabbed his ass. He brought Trafalgar to his waist and the doctor wrapped his long beautiful legs around the man's waist, gripping tightly for his life.

"Eustass!" Trafalgar moaned his name, unintentionally as the man kept distracting him from speaking his orders. The blond gave a long sensual lick on Trafalgar's neck.

"Stop… !" Trafalgar tried to breath but the blond kept attacking him.

Aeolus carried Trafalgar right to the table where the scrolls were. In one hand, Aeolus wipe all the scrolls off the table and they fell rolling down the floor, scattered everywhere.

Aeolus didn't stop right there. He slammed the doctor to the table hardly, detached the doctor's limbs from himself and roughly grabbed the doctor's tunic collar and ripped it apart, exposing his bare, tanned chest with beautiful white marks all over it. Aeolus licked his lips as he began ravishing the smaller man under him.

Trafalgar looked at Kid, biting his lip. "Go." He said, almost a whisper as his voice disappeared to painful pleasure.

But Kid couldn't move a muscle.

His mind and instincts screamed to him to not let the doctor alone with the stranger who is mindlessly ravishing him. He couldn't take it. He wanted to grab the fucking blond, wrap his strong hand around his neck and choke him to death, but he couldn't do it.

Trafalgar screamed, bucking his hips and head back to the table. His hands gripped the edge of the table as if his life depended on it.

Trafalgar looked at him again, with pleading eyes and screaming at him to go and leave him alone.

Kid inverted his gaze, he couldn't take it. He found himself dragging the pet wolf with him out of the door and closing it. Bepo didn't leave the front of door, and so didn't Kid. He just couldn't. Robin's words rang in his mind over and over again, asking himself why did they let a man like Aeolus ravage the doctor as if he was some prideless person? He just couldn't stand it.

Kid leaned on the wall, slid down and hugged his knees. He looked at the wolf who sat in front of him, giving off a whimper.

"Shut up." Kid snapped back in almost a whisper.

The wolf was friendly now after their encounter and it seems he understood his troubles.

Kid slowly reached out and touched the head of the wolf, that didn't try to bite him, and petted it. He smiled softly. It seemed the wolf understood him and gave a bit of comfort. But he was in denial. He could still hear the two men behind the walls, fucking as if there's no tomorrow. He needed to get out. He needed to go before he couldn't take it and might lash out.

He stood up, gathering his thoughts and walked away with the wolf strolling behind him. Slowly walking away from the hallways into his room, Kid wanted a drink of water. He turned towards the kitchen and found the torches still lighted at this hour.

He slowly stepped in and found the blond cook, sitting now at the table with a metal pitcher in front and casually smoking some sort of leaf. He seemed to be in deep thoughts.

"Sanji?" He spoke low. Not to startle the blond.

Sanji looked at him, face changing into a smile.

"Eustass, fancy meeting you at this hour. " Sanji greeted, waving him to take a seat opposite of him.

Kid sat down with the wolf following close. Bepo laid down besides his feet and rested.

"Bepo seems to like you so fast." Sanji complimented. "It took me a while before he let me touch him. "

"I'm a natural I guess. " Kid replied.

Sanji stood up, took a cup in the counter and placed it on front of him. "Care to join me on my late night drinking? " He said as he sat down

Kid hesitantly nodded as Sanji poured him a cup of wine. Kid wrapped his hand on the cold cup, slowly sipped the wine and instantly felt the stunning smell of grapes.

Sanji lightly laughed. "Never tasted wine before? "

"Tree wine, yes. Grape wine. Never. "

"Better get used to it. We Romans love wine so much to the point we drink it everyday. "

"Smell is...overwhelming." Kid commented and took a sip. Kid liked the fruity drink and drank more.

"Slow down, lad. I'm not willing to carry your drunken ass to bed and get scolded by the master. "

Kid groaned, scratched his red head. Sanji seemed to instantly pick the atmosphere.

"Did he got to your nerves? "He asked, as he breathed his awful smelly leaf smoke and blew it to the side.

Kid snorted.

"I guess you two fought? " Sanji lightly chuckled. "I'm surprised you didn't choke the life out of him. "

Kid took a huge swig of the wine and slammed his hand on the table. "What the fuck is wrong with him? I just don't understand this man!"

Sanji casually filled Kid's cup, placed the pitcher besides him and drank from his own. Kid slowly sipped his drink as he stared at the blond, who looked at his cup intensely as if in deep thought.

"You can tell me. I won't tell a soul if not needed." Sanji said, placing his cup on the table.

"I saw a man in his room." Kid said, looked down as memories flooded in.

"You saw his guest, hm." Sanji replied, blowing the death stick. "The master is very private on his sexual life. "

"He just arrived while we were fighting. We screamed at each other, he arrived and started … well, I am not sure what he did with Trafalgar in front of me but Trafalgar… he..seemed to enjoy it.." Kid almost mumbled the last words and looked at Sanji who sipped his wine.

"And you didn't?" Sanji replied.

Kid hesitated but he slowly nodded.

"I can't say anything if the master hasn't told you." He replied, placing the cup besides his. "But he does certain things to make himself forget. One night not so long ago, if my memory serves me right, he was alone in his bed, haven't got laid for a while and he ended up having a terrible nightmare that Zoro had to pour a bucket of water in his face to wake him up. The master looked lost and vulnerable and his eyes were bloodshot red with tears dripping down in his cheeks. It was a painful sight for a man as strong as he is."

Kid remained silent, listening to every word Sanji spoke.

"The master is kind-hearted and tender to his good people despite his immodesty and ill-mannered personality to others. He's a man that built himself a barrier to protect his heart from any other emotions. Whatsoever happened to him in the past, he's keeping it to himself and we servants just have to understand this."

"And so are you." Sanji added. "It does surely take time."

Kid sipped the last content of his cup and left Sanji at the table. He pinched his bridge and scratched his head. What should he do now? Should he apologize? He shuddered in his thoughts of the doctor smugly insulting him because he turned soft. He didn't say another word and left the kitchen, walked to the hallways and found himself walking back to Trafalgar's chambers.

As he was about to turn to the hallway where Trafalgar was, his thoughts were interrupted as he noticed Aeolus walking out of Trafalgar's chambers slow and silent. He hid behind a pillar, watched as the blond asshole walked by and slowly took a torch with him.

The wolf behind him growled. They had the same thoughts in their minds. Aeolus was suspicious and Kid decided to follow the man. Aeolus was quick on his feet, and they found themselves in front of locked gates. The blond smashed the lock with his torch which made a loud clanking noise. As it opened again, a dozen of men, equipped with deadly weapons in their hands came rushing inside the hallways of the villa.

"Have you checked if everyone is asleep?" A man said, who seemed to be the leader. He handed Aeolus a dagger, that he quickly hid at his hip.

"They are all asleep at this hour. That cerberus demon is away from the villa. So we are safe."

"The headmaster?"

"Asleep like a rock. Slipping the sleeping medicine in his system was easier than I expected."

"I told you, we should have used poison instead but great job, Aeolus. This plan works better. The emperor soldiers will immediately blame that barbarian, Trafalgar took home. Foolish thing to do.. "

Kid's heart beat so fast, he didn't know the difference between his adrenaline and bloodlust rushing through his veins, but he knew one thing for sure: he wanted the blond fucking dead. It was all planned out and they were planning to keep him alive to be misaccused again and now, be killed with no Trafalgar Law saving him again. With no second thoughts, Kid unsheathes his twin swords, jumped out and rushed in to charge at the nearest man he would slash in his swing. The wolf joined and leaped to another man, crushing and ripping its throat in a mere second.

Kid attacked another man, who was in his way, slicing his throat as he stabbed him in the heart with the other sword. These men were too easy to kill, clearly untrained but Kid was outnumbered and too much for one man to chase them one by one as the other's disappeared deep in the halls. The other servants were in trouble and in the back of his mind, he prayed to the god's above that Luffy would be awake. Aware of the invasion happening right this moment.

Only three men were left in front of him They shivered in fear as the wolf continued to chew the head of their comrade. Despite their drawn swords they were shaking in fear, unable to find their courage or bravado to fight him properly. Kid looked them in the eyes, they were begging for mercy but Kid didn't show mercy. They did not deserve anything but death by his blade.

His eyes glowed when he met Aeolus eyes behind the three men that were unable to protect him.

Kid smiled like the mad beast others proclaimed he was. Aeolus would be a dead man and Kid was going to make sure he is the one to kill him, slowly.

"Attack him, you fools! He is alone!" Aeolus commanded. "Pay no mind to that beast!"

The men nodded to each other as they slowly walked, surrounding Kid with their swords pointed at him, determination sparking in their eyes.

 _Fools._ Kid gripped his swords tightly as he readied himself for an incoming attack, which came almost immediately. The first one charged at him recklessly, shoving the pointy end towards his stomach. Kid easily parried the first man's swing and countered it by swinging his right sword to the first man's chest, instantly striking him dead. Blood gushed out of the his chest, as the man's eyes lost it's light with a begging cry let out from his mouth. The second charged with a vengeful war cry as the first man had gone silent on Kid's blade. Kid grabbed the dead body by its head and threw it to the second, who was caught off guard. He fell to his back with the dead man on top of him. Kid immediately stabbed the man in the mouth. Blood splattered in Kid's face but he payed no mind of the mess as the last one jumped at him, almost slashing his shoulder, but Kid was able to dodge it but it ripped the red tunic he wore.

Kid snarled at the man as he swung his left sword at him. The last man was able to counter barely as Kid's monstrous strength quickly overwhelmed him, sending off his sword spinning through the air, leaving him open. Kid did not hesitate to stab the man's stomach and another sword in the man's jaw. Blood splurted out of the man's mouth as he slowly gurgled and choked on his own blood while twitching with Kid's blade. Kid did not stop there. He gutted the man's stomach open as his intestines sprayed down on Kid's feet before Kid twisted the sword on the man's jaw with a snapping sound. The man fell down dead.

Kid took a deep breath as he looked around for the blond fucker he wanted to kill in the first place, but he was nowhere to be found. Kid growled in his frustration. Aeolus escaped.

He clenched his bloodied swords as panic rushed in his veins. There were still other men in the villa, attacking the servants in their sleep and the only one, he has right now was the wolf, who is still feasting on his prey. Kid shot his eyes close, wishing Sanji was well and not dead. He gritted his teeth. It was his fault, if only he had stopped Aeolus in time. If only he had done more than the bloodbath beneath his feet.

"How fucking dare they attack us." A familiar voice spoke darkly that made Kid open his eyes and chills ran through his neck. Kid turned his head and never been more glad and disturbed in his life.

Luffy stood in front of the barely lit halls with face covered nothing but blood. His eyes gleamed dangerously, filled with anger. Kid could clearly see the two mangled men, dragged by their hair and a bloody leather strap spiked around Luffy's arms, still dripping with nothing but blood and making a mess on the white marble floor.

Kid held his breath, considering what words he could say but found silence a better choice.

Luffy threw the mangled bodies in front of Kid's feet where the other bodies were.

"Are there more of them?" Luffy asked, crackling his bloodied knuckles. "I've found four. Threw the other two off the cliff. Who did this?"

Kid gulped as he wiped the blood out of his eyes. "It was Aeolus."

"The blond fuck who arrived earlier?"

Kid nodded.

"I've caught three." Another voice said from behind. Kid turned and saw Sanji with bloodied feet. Blood splattered all over the cook's white tunis which seemed to displease him.

Kid wondered how the cook was able to kill those men alone with no weapon but he did not ask as the wolf started to growl and ran away. Kid immediately followed, leaving the other two behind. He ran as fast as his feet could carry him to keep up with the wolf. They turned a few halls and Kid found himself going back to Trafalgar's chambers. Kid felt his heart drop out of his chest.

At the last turn he saw Aeolus at the end of the hall, just about to open the doors to Trafalgar's chambers with a dagger in his hand. Kid's mind went dark and blank, without a thought, he found himself throwing one of his twin swords in the air like a spear with all his might that hit Aeolus right in the stomach. Aeolus cried in pain as he dropped his dagger, falling to his knees and clenching the sword that struck him. As the blond continued to howl in pain, Kid ran to him and gagged him with his own hand and at the same time, tried to ward off the wolf that was trying to rip off Aeolus feet. He wanted the blond to suffer more and the wolf will do no justice.

The wolf growled at him but Kid growled back, not letting a single fang be buried in the blond despite the wolf clawing his tunic off. Kid kept his hand still on the blond's mouth, wanting to hear him suffer more. He could pull out the sword right at that moment but he didn't. The blond would die too fast for Kid's pleasure and he didn't want that to happen.

The other servants arrived and gathered around him with eyes seems to gleam of danger and bloodlust for the blond, he held down tightly. Robin, who was barely dressed, stepped towards them and knelt down, looking at the blond's bleeding figure.

" Aeolus Acrisius, I sentence you to death for the attempted murder on Trafalgar Water Law of the Trafalgar Water House. But tell us who sent you and I shall give you mercy of a quick death." Robin said, voice a dark and low whisper as her eyes glared hardly towards the whimpering blond man who started turning pale but the said man refused to move.

Robin huffed, disappointed. She looked at Kid, who seems to understand and gave a small nod. She grabbed the sword's hilt and slowly pushed and twisted it down deeper. The blond screamed into Kid's hand, saliva slowly dripping down the blond's jaw as his eyes shut close from the pain. Kid bit his lip, disgusted, but kept his hand in place. The blond started a tantrum, squirming his arms and legs but it just made the sword dug down deeper into his wound. The blond tried to break free but Kid's hold was simply unbreakable in his state. As he continued to put on a fight, his skin turned paler and he tried to get hold of air but Kid did not grant any of these.

Kid gave Robin a look but as he did, he was startled by a sickening smile across her pink, plump lips.

"Again." She spoke, a little louder than earlier. "Who sent you?"

The blond remained shut, only the sound of a whimper coming out of his mouth..

Robin sighed. "You and the others are foolish enough to think you can fight us because the demon you call, _Cerberus_ is away? Vacuous and stupid wretches, you are."

Robin pressed her index finger on the blond's temple as her face darkened. "Every single one of us can take anyone of you foolish creatures any day as we like. We will hunt you down one by one like prey, so save us the nuisance and tell me who has sent you and I shall let you die without any further pain."

Kid felt a weak tap on his hand, a sign the blond wanted to speak. Kid slowly moved his hand and rested it on the blond's jaw, still untrusting of the man's actions.

Aeolus spoke, but it could be barely called a whisper. "I am a free man, you bitch. Murder against the free men is against the law and you will die. The soldiers..no… the emperor will hear about this matter and will execute every single one of you fuckers."

Robin chuckled. "You think being a free man can save you? Foolishness and stupidity, thinking the emperor can protect you. I thought you will say something smarter than this, knowing you got inside of our villa...knowing our master had taken interest in you...I am disappointed. You are nothing but scum.."

"Fuck you! My people will search for me and find me. And when they do, you are all dead! I swear it by the fuc-" The blond threatened back but Robin interrupted him, almost immediately.

"Who said they will find your body? Do you think we are stupid?" She said, as a smile creeped back to her lips as she quickly gripped the hilt of the sword and pulled it so fast, Kid was barely able to cover the blond's mouth as he shrieked in pain. His face slowly lost its color and twitches with muffled screams in Kid's hand. The body slowly stopped moving as it bathed in its own blood, covering Kid's tunic with it. He was dead.

"I deeply apologise." Robin said, as she placed the bloodied sword besides Kid and stood up and walked away to the other servants who watched the whole ordeal in silence.

"You know what you must do and the master must not know about this. I shall send a pigeon to Brook as soon as possible."

The other servants nodded without hesitation. Kid caught himself staring at Aeolis lifeless body, as its dead eyes were staring at him, piercing at his soul and giving him chills, but Kid didn't feel pity, only anger boiling inside him. He wanted to be the one who ended the despicable man's life. He somehow felt the blond deserved to be killed by the hands of a woman. He laid the dead man's head on the blooded stained marble, stood up and wiped the twin swords with his tunic.

Sanji placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a pat. "Good job, Eustass."

Kid nodded.

"Change as soon as you can." Nami instructed, almost whispering as they walked out of the master's hall, Kid carrying the dead body like a sack of potatoes. Everyone nodded in unison, except Kid who he stared at everyone's silent face with hundreds of questions hammering in his mind.

"I'll take care of the bodies." Franky said, picking up two and placing them on his shoulders like their weight was nothing and left. Kid dropped the body on the pile and wiped his face, looking at the others in silence.

A person would panic if they were attacked in the middle of their sleep but the servants did not and it seemed, it happened before. They were prepared for it like they expected an attack. Kid realized, they weren't _just_ normal servants.

As he walked away to his quarters with his twin swords tucked at his hips, questions were still pouring in his mind like waterfalls. He wanted to know as he felt something big was going behind the shadows.

Kid opened the door and locked it shut. He slid down with his back on the wooden door and hugged his knees. He took a deep breath, processing what he should do next.

Did Trafalgar know the servants under him were not ordinary smiths or scholars? He could understand that Luffy was able to fight but Robin and especially Sanji surprised him. He just met the cook and it didn't strike him that he could fight.

Kid stood up, stripped off his bloodied tunic and threw it in the fire. He put on another one and opened the door.

Curiosity will be the death of him.

PS: I apologize for the late update. I've been very busy lately with all the travels and stuff I've been attending. I would like to thank you my friend who helped us beta this chapter. Thank you very much. Chapter 7 might be out late. Leave a like/Kudos and a review! Really appreciate it!


	7. Act I Part 7

**CHAPTER 7**

"Eustass?" Sanji softly spoke as he approached Kid, wandering around the newly cleaned fountain. Kid noticed, a large water vase resting on Sanji's shoulders.

"Sanji?" Kid pretended to sound surprise. "Fancy meeting you at this hour."

"Why are you still wandering around? You have work!" Sanji said, obviously pissed.

"'So do you." Kid replied.

"It doesn't take a smart person to know that you are here to ask several questions." Sanji said, placing the vase in the ground and massaging his sore shoulder.

"I want answers." Kid said, with a straight face.

"Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"No." Kid replied.

"You'll just ask nonsense." Sanji replied, obviously annoyed.

"The assassination seemed to be organized." Kid started to ask. "That's not nonsense at all."

Sanji snorted, folding his arms in his chest. "'Organized? It's a lousy wor!"

Kid held his breath. _Something was up._ "The blond free man. Who was he?"

"Him? Nothing. Forget about him. He is no longer important to your duty." Sanji replied, coldly. "Stop asking questions and go back to sleep."

Kid's eyes hardened. "Does the doctor know? Or you don't want him to know about this? Am I right?"

Sanji's eyes turned cold, which didn't surprise Kid as he knew he pressed the right nerves with the right questions.

"I will say it again, Eustass. Go back to sleep. Or I'll make you." Sanji threatened as he dropped the foul smelling stick to the ground and stepped on it. Kid felt his own hand slowly creep onto the grip of his swords as he watched the cook's dangerous eyes that heavied the air around them.

"Haven't we had enough fighting for today, gentlemen?" A man said, instantly halting the two with a chilling voice creeping behind it.

Kid felt chills spread over his body as he heard the man speak. As he turned his head, a bizarre looking man sat on the fountain with his legs crossed and held an unusual cane in a delicate manner, smiling at him with his pearly white teeth.

Kid immediately noticed the man's splindy appearance that suits his odd colored tunic and had weird curly hair shaped like a round fruit.

"Brook." Sanji said, as he straightened himself almost immediately.

"Good evening, Sanji." Brook replied with a chuckle as he looked back at Kid. "Aren't we a curious lad? Who might you be, young man?"

Kid choose not to utter a word. He was not obligated to do so.

"His name is Eustass, the Master's newest slave. And I wish he was not as much a talker to us as he is to you." Sanji said, as he lit another foul smelling stick with the torch.

"Ah, the famous red _bestiarius_ that took the beast like the Mighty Hercules himself." Brook said as he placed his hand on his chest. The thin man stood up, slowly walked towards Kid who was still quite disturbed with the man's cold presence.

Brook placed his cold, thin looking hand on Kid's shoulder and smiled at him, genuinely.

"It's an honour to be on your good side, Eustass. I am pleased that my master seems to be in good hands."

Kid was slightly taken aback and did not miss the admiration that coated the old thin man's voice. Kid couldn't help but be speechless and simply nodded in reply. Not entirely sure what and why he should be admired.

"We apologize to call you so late at night, Brook but we have to get going and be done with it." Sanji interrupted as he roughly placed the water vase on Kid's shoulder, almost dropping the content.

"It's nothing, Sanji. It's my job after all." Brook said, dismissively waved at Sanji. "Follow me then and we shall get on with it."

"What the hell?" Kid said, as he barely balanced the water vase and tried his best not to spill a bit.

"You.." Sanji pointed at Kid, that earned the blond a glare but remained unfazed. "..enough with the questions. If you don't want to sleep. Fine. Might as well, help us out.."

Kid hissed at him but followed the order and followed the two servants on what it seems to be the backyard of the villa with the thick stone walls and there it was, a small door; well-hidden between the cramped space of some storage rooms. He never knew a small wooden door exist. It wasn't heavily locked but just well hidden, camouflaging with the mossy and tangled webs that grown in the tiny cramped space. Kid could barely fit inside such space but the two men moved with ease. Brook took a small key out of the small bag that was wrapped around his hip and opened the door. He stepped outside and Sanji followed but held the door for Kid to get through. But almost immediately, Kid choked on his own breath as a disgusting, stomach churning smell almost immediately mutilated his sensitive nose.

"The fuck?" Kid exclaimed, quickly tried to cover his nose with the collar of his tunic but found it difficult as he tried his best not to get himself wet with the spills of water from the vase. The smell was almost as identical to the smell of the pits from before and it was much more distinct smell of freshly dead body. Kid looked at Sanji, who kept a perfectly straight face as he closed the door behind Kid. And there, Kid just noticed what was behind the hidden door. A empty road outside and a carriage almost alike of Marco's carriage but less elegant and old with a horse equally ancient looking as its owner. Despite darkness surrounding them, Kid could see what was inside the carriage as Brook opened the door. It was filled with the dead men they had just killed that night, stuffed in large muddy vases, poorly covered with dirty cloths and amongst other suspicious looking wooden crates. Kid did not want to know what will happen to the bodies insides those vases.

Kid felt something inside his stomach churn and it took all his will not to vomit. He thought when he was in the pits he had seen hell, but this one in front of him was something, he wasn't completely ready for. He had never been glad to be on the good side of these people but questions still linger in his thoughts and he was not giving up until he found an answer. Let alone sleep with this thoughts.

"Thank you for your assistance, Eustass. I'm afraid carrying such a heavy vase is no longer suitable for an old frail man like me. I appreciate your help bringing it to me." Brook slightly bowed his head, as he helped Kid place the vase in front of the carriage seat.

"It was nothin." Kid replied, scratching the back of his head as Brook nodded and walked towards Sanji, who quietly smoked the foul stick. Kid immediately covered his nose with the collar of his tunic but still had a hard time breathing. He was quite impressed and baffled how these other men able to breath with no effort.

"I am glad that no one was harmed from the events earlier. It seems they know that Zoro left not so long ago.."

"Whoever they are, they are foolish enough to attack us from the inside. It won't be long before Robin finds their whereabouts." Sanji replied, as he held his stick between his fingers. "Glad Eustass was around when it started to happen. If it wasn't for him, we couldn't have made it out unscathed."

Kid couldn't helped but be surprised by Sanji's words, especially knowing what they almost did a while back. But as he looked at the blond, his face was not pleasing.

"I must leave now, my friend." Brook said, once again smiling gleefully as he waved at them and rode the carriage away. Now, it was just the two of them and somehow, the cold night turned hot and tense as Kid stared at Sanji, who nonchalantly smoked his stick.

"Are you still going to bother me with those questions of yours." Sanji said, blowing smoke at Kid's face.

"Yes." Kid replied, annoyed as he suppressed a gag. "I'm not giving up."

"Why?" Sanji asked.

"What do you mean why?" Kid replied, anger flaring up.

"Why make so much effort to know what you don't need to know and would just be better off not knowing such things? If you know too much, it might hinder with your plans in life."

"Are you suggesting to just shut up and be silent about everything?" Kid said, surprised. "Are you insane?"

"No. I am being practical here. I know what you want, _Eustass_." Sanji replied, angrily as he shoved his finger on Kid's chest. "If you want to keep using the master's influence to find those friends of yours, then shut your mouth and be done with it."

"That's not the point, you fool!" Kid screamed as he shoved Sanji in the nearby wall.

"You fucking bastard!" Sanji screamed back but halted as he could barely move as Kid's intentional punch on the wall; missing him by a few inches..

"Look here, Sanji. You, Robin and the others practically asked me to protect your master because Luffy can't do it and this man, you call Zoro is somewhat neglecting his duties! I am just doing what you ask me to do in exchange of finding my tribe! And you are asking me to keep my mouth shut when I know for myself that Trafalgar himself brought that man in his house! In his bed even! Do you want the next will be in death?" Kid said as he felt his throat go dry and looked down at Sanji's indescribably face.

"Say not a word, Eustass." Sanji replied, words somehow coming out harder than a rock.

Kid inhaled sharply as his patience was reaching its limit as they submerged into the silence of the night.

"Just why?" Kid finally said, baffled..

"'The longer you are with him, you'll understand why we do such things. You'll understand why we do such things. "Unlike you, we are protecting the master better than you do."

"You are so fucking stubborn. Did anyone tell you that?" Kid remarked.

"Yes, yes they have," Sanji replied, as he dropped his stick and stepped on it. "Again, tell him not a single word. If he asks, say you know nothing. We would appreciate your silence and be done with it."

"That's it?" Kid tried not to burst into madness, as questions in his heads seem to pile up more than answers. "You trust me not telling Trafalgar so easily?"

"Yes, I do." Sanji replied, as he opened the door.

"Did you not heard what I just said a while ago? He deserves to know!? Is it wrong to tell the doctor that the man his brought to his own fucking bed had tried to kill him?"

Sanji sighed, heavily. "I'm too tired for this shit, Eustass. We have our reasons why. So just think and understand what shit is coming out of your mouth."

"But-" Kid started to argue back but quickly interrupted by Sanji's finger pointed at him.

"Not a word." Sanji warned but for Kid it was the last straw. He had enough of Sanji bringing every question and reasoning he say down to the ground.

"He deserves to know!" Kid shouted back as Sanji's eyes gleamed dangerously at him. "You told me I have to protect him, am I right? Then, I'm doing this to protect him!"

"You're not protecting him!" Sanji snarled back. "You're just using him to find your friends!"

Kid growled, using all his will not to hit the blond as he could see the blond's eyes filling with anger that was about to explode. Sanji pressed his index finger in Kid's chest, hard enough to probably leave a mark.

"You wouldn't understand if I told you why! You are just a barbarian who knows nothing about anything in this world. You're a heavy weight for the master as well! You obey him because he made a deal with you and that himself is forced upon! You're using him just like everyone else!"

As every word the cook spoke, the harder he pressed his finger into Kid's chest until Kid had enough and slapped the blond hand away.

"That's right!" Kid declared rather proudly. "I'm just using him! He struck a deal to me and easily admitted he needed me! He knew, he couldn't defend himself against me and he used my men as leverage! We are using each other so might as well get on with the circumstances I was forced into! But don't you see? Are you that fucking blind and delusional that you think you can protect him like this? If you want to protect him so bad then tell him! What if one day, he brings yet another man and stab him right in his sleep? How can you protect him if he brings danger along with him? Let alone sleep with them? Wake the fuck up! I might be a barbarian to you but I am not delusional as you!"

"Fuck you!" Sanji shouted, angrily. "You have no right to say that you barbarian! You know nothing about him or any of us! So, fuck off!"

"Fucking fine then!" Kid said, as he slammed the mossy door opened. "I'll fuck off but no one is going to stop me from telling Trafalgar that the man that fucked him just tried to kill him and now, ended up in a muddy vase, mutilated by no other than you and others! And God's know where they will end up!"

Before Sanji could reply, Kid slammed the door shut and strides towards Trafalgar's chambers with no hesitation in his mind. He was going to tell him as he needed to know because it was his right to know but Sanji's words just ringing in his thoughts.

Kid stood there in front of Trafalgar's door, knuckle already on the wooden surface and readied to rudely wake the doctor up. Drugged or not but out of the million thoughts why he should tell the doctor, one simply thought said not to.

It was one of the many words Sanji told him not to before they fought.

" _Master was so vulnerable as he woke up. His eyes were bloodshot and tears trickled in his cheeks. It was pitiful sight to be honest."_

Was it just sex that helped Trafalgar get through his life and help him sleep at night? Kid knew how heavy the doctor would work. Every morning, he had to drag the man out of his bed just to get read for the day and continue his work from morning to evening. Any man like Trafalgar would have gone mad but not if there was some sort of escape. Kid finally came into the conclusion, it wasn't his business but if, he could just prevent him to bring more suspicious men inside it would be better.

Kid sighed, heavily as fatigue finally caught up with him but he couldn't bring himself to leave and sleep. He had an urge just to see a glimpse of the doctor. Kid slowly pushed the door open and greeted with a familiar scent, he sniffed the first morning, he served Trafalgar as a slave.

It was the fresh scent of sex.

The doctor's room was dark with only the moon shining through the window provided enough light for him to see. The whole room was a disaster and it would be such work to keep things tidy and neat again as scrolls rolled down off the floor, tables and chairs tumbled down in the floor along some articles of clothing were scattered.

Kid sighed, once again.

Kid slowly walked inside, closing the door as silently as he could. His mind was still debating if he would wake the doctor to tell him but he thought, he could wait until morning if he could ever tell the doctor until then that is.

Kid ran his hand on his messy braided red hair and inhaled deeply as thoughts and hesitation crepts down in his spine like some kind of uncomfortable feeling as he slowly closing in the bed of the doctor. It was awful to feel this was.

He agreed to guard the doctor's life and in exchange to finding his tribe's men. He have never done such thing before and never have thought of guarding someone's life would be this complicated. This won't have happen between them if Trafalgar never shoved himself into a ridiculous and pathetic bet. It was just stupid and prideful to do but who he was talking to? If Kid, would be in Trafalgar's place, will he ever take a bet to save someone like Trafalgar?

Kid chuckled, silently. But then again, he asked himself. What will happen after he found them?

Kid stood in the foot of Trafalgar's bed and just watched the doctor under the thin covers above him.

He could ask Trafalgar's fave once again to help them go back to the south but he was asking too much. His pride is screaming at him not to do such thing. Kid wasn't stupid. The doctor could use him or the others, manipulating them in his whim. If the Romans knew about the tribe, on how they can fight as good as Kid is, not that better but much suitable enough in the battle field. It would be the end of their generation and Kid will not face his fore fathers on such shame. Kid held the gold bracelet in his wrist and just took another deep breath. He was overthinking but Kid felt that Trafalgar wasn't capable of manipulating someone to this extent. He just had this stupid gut feeling inside that the doctor was honorable enough to be trusted.

Kid scoffed. Trafalgar being trustworthy? Killer would have already slap him right now. Does he trust the doctor so easily now? Just knowing this doctor in front of him could be his end? He didn't know and couldn't care less for the moment. He needed to stop questioning himself that wasn't necessary for the current events he was suffering in. He needed to think straight and act smart or it will be his end and he did not want to die in a foreign land with no honor.

Kid's thoughts were interrupted by a wailing cry of no other than Trafalgar Law himself. Kid scrambled himself out, ran in the doctor's side, ready to tear out the very thin fabric on top but as he peeked open all he did was froze.

Sanji wasn't lying. Even though, it was dark and only the moonlight provided light for him, he could clearly see Trafalgar's face.

Kid clasped his mouth with his hand, resisting to make a single sound.

Trafalgar was all curled up, naked as the day he was born with one blanket covering his small, lean figure. The doctor was shivering out of fear, sweat trickled down in his face as he was under the sun for so long and Trafalgar's expression. God's above, his face was covered with such unexplainable, painful expression with river like tears coming out of his eyes. The doctor's breathing was ragged as if someone was choking him right now as his arms wrapped around himself, trying to desperately covering himself. It was a sight, Kid will never forget.

Nightmares was one of the things Kid have experience in his childhood but he didn't exactly know how he was able to gone through all of those. Maybe it was his mother, who hugged him away from the madness of fear of the prophecy's never ending death like nightmare. Or maybe, his father's support and encouragement not to let such foul and uncertain predictions stumble his way. Whatever it was, Kid had someone with him in times of trouble but as he looked at Trafalgar right now. The man had no one but just Kid who had no clue what to do.

Kid bit his lip as he slowly pulled the thin fabric above Trafalgar and sat besides the doctor. He slowly laid down, took the thicker blanket which was discarded in the side and covered Trafalgar that seems to stopped him from shivering. He slowly held the doctor's head, placed it on his chest and wrapped his left arm around him the doctor's shoulder and calmly stroked his raven hair with his other hand. He noted to himself how soft it was.

Kid clearly could remember the same method his mother used to do every time he had a nightmare and somewhat it never fails to work for him; also hoping that it would work the same for the doctor or at least calm him down a bit. He liked to listen to his mother's heartbeat, which somehow calming beating sound that helped him get back to sleep but those days were long over and Kid was still sadden of her early death.

Somewhat, Trafalgar calmed down and slept in his chest calmly with his arms laid down on Kid's chest. He was no longer shivering and tears seems to stop streaming down his eyes. His breathing was normal to soothing snore. Kid was staring at the most peaceful sleeping face that he have ever seen in his life but realization struck him hard. He was sleeping together in one bed with the doctor without his consent. Kid's face turned into madly red blush. He needed to get out, leave and go back to his bed and smack himself in the face until he pass out. He was invading the doctor's private space which he couldn't do without the doctor's permission. It was forbidden, for what his tribe rules are that is but the rules stuck in his head for so long, he couldn't help but to embarrassed for himself. It was shameful thing to do and sleeping with a naked person must only be done with lovers.

Kid slowly and gently as he could not to wake the doctor as he slid himself off from Trafalgar that seems to be difficult to do so. As he able to untangle himself away from the doctor, he sat besides his bed and ready to leave but he stopped at what it seems to be faith from the god's from high above as the moonlight shone directly to Trafalgar's sleeping figure. Kid felt his breath was taken away and almost choked from the lump in his throat.

He spent most of his time dressing the doctor every morning as he gave him baths. He knew almost every inch of the doctor's body but he never have seen the marks in the doctor; this type of way to be appreciated. The white marks in his torso seems to shine brightly under the moonlight that made him drawn towards closer to the doctor. He wanted to touch the doctor in such way, he couldn't explain. He didn't care where such beautiful marks came from, and he pondered on the privacy of the questions when he wanted to ask. He, now had this maddening to urge to touch the marks, observe every detail as if it was a gemstone in a cave and appreciate its lasting beauty.

Kid swallowed, dryly as the tip of his fingers almost touched Trafalgar's skin.

"Yes?"

Kid met Trafalgar's bright, scrutinizing golden eyes as he fumbled over the words that caught in his throat. The doctor was awake and he was screwed.

"What you want?" Trafalgar asked, eyes seems to be still asleep as he talked.

"I..uh!..Nothing!" Kid stuttered unable to come up with a quick reasonable answer. He braced himself for what the doctor would throw but it never happened.

Trafalgar just gave him a soft yawn before sinking back to his pillow and slowly breathe deeply.

"I should go." Kid said, as he about to stand but a hand found its way to Kid's wrist.

"Don't go." Trafalgar murmured. "I...don't..like...to be alone."

Kid inhaled, sharply as he heard a soothing snore from the doctor. The doctor's hand was still held his hand. Was he supposed to sleep? Floor?

Upon realising, he picked the floor. He detached his hand off Trafalgar's and placed it on the pillow as gently as he could, not wanting to wake the doctor again. He sat beside the bed and leaned on it. Unwrapped the sword belt around his waist and hugged the twin sword as he listened to Trafalgar's soothing snore. He made himself comfortable, and thought, maybe he'll not tell anything that have happened that night. He'll forget about it and maybe, go along with it but now, he didn't cared as he continued to listen to Trafalgar's breathing.

That night Kid fell asleep, soundly for the first time.

… **.**

Kid jolted from his sleep as he felt a warm breath in his ears. As he opened his eyes, he stared at the same mesmerizing golden eyes of no other than Trafalgar Law; half naked with only a thin blanket covering himself. The doctor was shamelessly kneeling between Kid's legs and the doctor's golden eyes was staring at his soul and an grin decorated the doctor's luscious lips. Before Kid could completely realize what was happening, he jerked his head backwards so fast, forgetting the bed frame existed behind him and hit his head hard that made him yowl in pain.

"Fucccck!" Kid shouted, as he held his head in pain and earning a loud laugh from the doctor. It was the first time he heard the doctor laugh that left him a bit awe.

"Did I wake you up, Eustass?" Trafalgar said, as his laughs settled down.

Kid closed his mouth, rubbed the aching part of his head as he tried his best to avoid the doctor's face.

"You think?" Kid remarked.

"I do remember providing you a room to sleep at night and not to camp in the side of my bed. It's not like someone is going to kill me in my sleep, Eustass." Trafalgar said, slightly amused as he sat down, still between in Kid's legs.

Kid groaned. "I have my reasons."

"Are you going soft and overprotective on me, Eustass?" Law slyly smiled. "That's so sweet of you."

Kid did not miss the sarcasm on those words, Trafalgar spewed.

"Shut up! That's not what I meant, bastard."

"It's not like I care." Trafalgar yawned, loudly. "I was so tired last night, I can't remember anything and how you end up here. Did anything else happen last night?"

Kid's mind was instantly filled with the events last night. It was a perfect time to tell the doctor but he hesitated..

"Nothing happened." Kid replied, avoiding Trafalgar's curious eyes once again. Kid was confused to himself and couldn't decide. He wasn't lying to the doctor and they didn't have an agreement to hide secrets from each other but hiding this fact was gut wrenching. It wasn't his business to intervene with who, Trafalgar wants to bring in his bed but the thought of other men in Trafalgar's side; clouded Kid's mind. He just doesn't want it to happen again. Imagining Trafalgar sprawled in this bed, covered with blood and cold dead eyes staring at Kid was horrifying. His mind instantly filled with images of his friends who died in the forest and the others who was eaten by alive of the same beast that haunted his whole life. He couldn't take it and he didn't want that to happen again. Never again. Everything he have done right now is for the sake of finding his men and that was just his goal and nothing else.

"Are you listening to me?" The doctor asked, interrupting Kid's thoughts.

"What?" Kid replied, snapping out of his daze state. Trafalgar stood up, not taking his golden eyes away from Kid's. Kid bit the insides of his cheeks as he felt those same golden eyes were reading his very soul at that moment.

"Eustass?" Trafalgar asked, again; clearly annoyed this time.

Kid pushed his thoughts away, gathered his will and looked at Trafalgar.

"I didn't hear you the first time." Kid finally spoke but his throat felt like sand.

"You mean the second time." Trafalgar replied, as he walked at a downed chair, picked it up and sat on it slowly; not to hurt himself. The doctor sighed as he wrapped his thin blanket around his waist tighter, crossed those beautiful long tanned legs and looked at Kid once again. Kid wanted to slap himself back to sleep.

"Have you seen Aeolus left this morning? Since you slept here any chance you've seen him leave, perhaps?"

Kid swallowed the lump in his throat and spoke. "No."

"Strange." Trafalgar held his chin with his hand. "He seems to have forgotten his money in the table."

Kid felt his heart dropped out of his chest as his heartbeat gone faster. Oh, fuck. They are so fucked.

"Oh, well. He's not worthy it." Trafalgar just shrugged. "Seeing he left in haste, you must have scared him away, Eustass."

Kid almost choked. If only he could know.

"He's not going back any thing soon.." Trafalgar added, nonchalantly.

Kid just wanted to scream in relief and joy for Trafalgar not caring. Yes, the bastard is totally not worthy but Kid tried his best to contain all his emotions and just portrayed the best poker face, he could make.

"Did the cat got your tongue?" Trafalgar exclaimed, hand on his cheeks as he looked bored as he already was.

"What? A cat? What cat?" Eustass asked, baffled and bewildered with strange phrase.

"I meant, why aren't you talking to me? You seems to be awfully quiet and nervous for my liking like you seems to be hiding something from me?"

"Of course now. It's nothing." Kid quickly denied.

Trafalgar snorted. "Did you watch me sleep last night? Are you sure you are not growing soft on me already, Eustass-ya?"

Trafalgar said, playfully as he was amused that Kid's face turned redder than his hair.

Kid wanted to burst into piece in embarrassment. The asshole doctor got him by his balls and he wasn't ready to brace himself with these double meaning insults.

Trafalgar laughed. 'I'm just fucking with you, Eustass-ya~! You don't have to be all red and blushy on me!"

Oh, this asshole was awfully chaotically in a good mood. Too good to be healthy or normal on far end of Kid's standards.

"It's not like you held my hand, right?" Trafalgar added, not knowing Kid's heart stopped beating.

Kid felt his words were lost in his embarrassment. He sealed his lips, tightly and spoke not a single word as he looked down and stared at his lap.

"It would be very unlikely of you. All soft on me all the sudden. It's bizarre." Trafalgar whispered but KId could hear him clearly.

Kid breath sharply as thoughts once again ran in his mind but he throat turned dry and felt like sand as he tried to speak.

"Of course not." Kid gritted his teeth, still trying his best to mask what he felt. A feeling that is much foreign as he was in that certain place. "You have a terrible sense of you humor, have anyone told you that?"

Trafalgar hummed. "You're not the second person to tell me that.."

Kid chuckled, dryly. "That's so."

"Eustass?" Trafalgar asked. Kid turned his head to look at Trafalgar's face but the next question took Kid by surprise.

"Why are you bleeding?"

PS:

Thank you for the wait. I apologize for not updating not fast and long enough but I have to cut the chapters. This will be the last chapter that I have already written so far. The next chapters will take longer since I completely forgot what route of the story I originally have taken. Sorry, I swear I got lost myself too.

Thank for the reviews so far. I am so sorry, I can't reply to all of them since I don't really know what to say except endless thank you over such loving reviews I have recently receiving especially some reviews that paid attention to small details and bases that I have used to this story. Just thank you so much I love you guys.

Leave a review/favorite/kudos! I really would appreciate it!


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